WHY MINIMALISM IS DEAD: The Fall of a Rebellious Movement

Written by Prithviraj Phalke, Founder, Artist & Brand Designer - Shapes Art & Design

Ruled by the wrath of Abstract Expressionism, the art of the 1950s seemed to have been evolving towards mere brushstrokes and spontaneous marks impersonating personal expressions of the artists, without… literal “expressions.” Don’t ask me which art form I'm fond of; we don’t want the blog to be a romanticised, heartfelt criticism of what ruined art for me. However, Abstract Expressionism is what led artists like Donald Judd and Frank Stella to birth the rebellious art movement, the well-known ‘Minimalism.’ With an intention to strip art down to the sole essentials, promoting the fundamentals of creation, the form, the shape, and the material. To emphasise a more straightforward and perceptive experience for the art enthusiasts, saturated with the excessive, colourful gestural brushstrokes of artists, asking them to guess what expressions they were portraying in those gigantic canvases.

What possibly went wrong? What did the world make of Minimalism over time, and how did that change the overused digital term today, which is “aesthetics”? Minimalism was inclined towards showcasing basic geometric shapes, to acquaint art and life not based on stylised emotions, but true form. Promoting clarity and a sense of self-explanatory design. 

This approach wasn’t bound to “what you make of it,” but what it is made of. Minimalism brought light to simplicity & functionality.

Over time, as swiftly as a trend on Instagram, the style exceeded the fences of art, camouflaging itself into design, into architecture, into every possible lifestyle that once breathed with carved stories, painted senses, & glittered glory. From Apple’s white boxes to Muji’s blank-label essentials, IKEA’s flat-packed neutrality to the grayscale branding of tech startups. What began as a revolt against overcrowded visuals turned into a formula for design, reduced to white spaces, sans-serifs, and muted taste.

But in escaping “too much,” are we left with “too little”? Imagine you sipping on a herbal tea, sitting amidst the scorching hues of hand-painted walls, narrating the tales of a yesterday that was oxidised in nothing but mightiness. A shade, a highlight, a tone precisely put together by the merging colours amidst the bristles wielded so profoundly by the aestheticians. The gleaming gold streaming in your tea paves its path to your lips through the mosaics of Greece, painted in bright blue in perfect rhythm and harmony that you didn’t know your tongue was swaying to. The armchair gripping your leisure so effortlessly, shaped in curves and bends that your body fits in like a glove, made out of carved wood that goes beyond the ready frames of carpentry. Precisely what we today call art. Design so purposefully crafted, as if there were no simpler ways to produce it. 

Now, return to this screen, can you still hear my voice? Look around you, what do the walls say? If your cup makes your tongue sway, if the chair you sit across from me right now have some narrative comfort? Now, ask me if all that maximal design is needed. Perhaps, it is not NEEDED. Perhaps, art and design could always be as minimal as they intend to be today, although that just represents how tasteful we’ve devolved to be. If art and design were subjects of “getting the job done,” then the one thing you could learn through this blog is that it never originated for that purpose. 

What went wrong is the overuse of Minimalism. Chasing simplicity to a point where design has lost its bone marrow. The misinterpretation of the term ‘Less is More.’ 

Kindly note that emptiness in design is not perceived as thoughtful. Designers end up doing nothing but less. And truthfully, that just shows less effort, less purpose, less intention, and less creativity. You could be a proposed minimalist, but you are failing to be purpose-driven. If you think drawing a mere circle in the middle of a canvas will make people think it’s an interpretation of the sun without drawing its rays, then that could be you thinking highly of your audience. Perhaps, then, I am a fool not to interpret your vision to conclude with. 

Whatever is derived from that debate, let’s not forget that art and design in their very core are about storytelling; it could be designing a brand, painting an art piece, or a small poster for an advertisement. Agencies today associate with minimalism, but end up with repetition of visuals, drowning the authenticity. What works in the market today cannot define your brand forever. The true irony is how minimalism was born to remove the unnecessary, yet has erased everything necessary today.

This isn’t a problem to solve, it’s a matter of perspective. It’s no wonder your mind jiggles when you spot meticulously carved architecture that is full of sculptures and fountains, it’s no wonder that visiting art museums and reading novels is an aesthetic, that your necks turn spotting a vintage car, or your next vacation trip is about sightseeing ancient temples. The overuse of minimalism due to its simplicity and ease of production in various fields would be one of the crucial narratives of how the world evolved so swiftly in the last century than it did in any era before, which also led us to live in grey boxes, in square chairs, driving metal shells of cars, while what lived as a lifestyle before could only be a luxury to view today. Minimalism didn’t just hamper visual design, but the anatomy of basic living has altered such that it is causing deprivation of human well-being. And if I sound like one mad individual… that would be considerate.

As somebody who believes in the resurgence of certain trends (not in the sense of mere fashion but the art and design of everyday life), I believe thoughtful, intentional, and vigorous art would be reborn. As a demand, as a necessity, and for a compelling positioning in the world. Choose true art; more importantly, choose the true personality in the design that befits you, the art that entices you, the lifestyle that is not just for the rich, but for somebody who could choose better. Minimalism is already going down subconsciously in the minds of many. Choose to be an artefact carved out of gold in the world of concrete and metal.

Well, do tell me what your design preferences are, and if minimalism has helped or hampered your creative juices. Comment below what you foresee the future of art & design to be. And before you decide, remember -

“Less is more” ≠ Less meaning