Minimalism revolutionized art in the 1960s. Key sculptors like Donald Judd and Carl Andre used industrial materials to create simple, geometric forms. Painters like Agnes Martin and Frank Stella explored grids and shaped canvases.

Light artists Dan Flavin and Anne Truitt pushed boundaries further. They transformed spaces with fluorescent tubes and painted columns, blurring lines between sculpture, painting, and architecture. These artists challenged viewers' perceptions of art and space.

Key Minimalist Sculptors

Pioneers of Geometric Abstraction

• Donald Judd revolutionized sculpture with his "specific objects" created industrial materials (aluminum, plexiglass, steel)
• Judd's works emphasized simplicity and repetition, often featuring stacked boxes or linear arrangements
• Carl Andre focused on floor-based sculptures using raw industrial materials (metal plates, bricks, timber)
• Andre's works explored the relationship between sculpture and the surrounding space, inviting viewers to walk on them
• Robert Morris experimented with large-scale geometric forms and unconventional materials (felt, mirrors, steam)
• Morris's sculptures often incorporated the viewer's perception and movement around the work

Monumental Minimalism

• Tony Smith created large-scale geometric sculptures inspired by mathematical principles and architectural forms
• Smith's works often featured modular units combined to create complex structures (Die, Smoke)
• Richard Serra developed site-specific installations using massive sheets of rolled steel
• Serra's sculptures altered viewers' perception of space and challenged their physical relationship to the artwork
• Serra's works often incorporated tilted or curved forms that created a sense of tension and instability (Tilted Arc, Torqued Ellipses)

Minimalist Painters and Printmakers

Grid-Based Abstraction

• Agnes Martin created delicate, meditative paintings featuring subtle grids and pale colors
• Martin's works explored themes of tranquility and perfection through precise, hand-drawn lines and washes of color
• Frank Stella pioneered the shaped canvas, moving away from traditional rectangular formats
• Stella's early works featured geometric patterns and stripes that emphasized the flatness of the canvas (Black Paintings series)
• Stella later expanded into three-dimensional wall reliefs and freestanding sculptures, blurring the line between painting and sculpture

Conceptual Approaches to Minimalism

• Sol LeWitt developed a systematic approach to art-making based on predetermined rules and mathematical concepts
• LeWitt's wall drawings consisted of simple geometric forms executed by assistants following his written instructions
• LeWitt's sculptures often featured modular cubes or open structures that explored variations on a theme
• LeWitt emphasized the primacy of the idea over the physical execution of the artwork

Minimalist Light and Space Artists

Illuminating Minimalism

• Dan Flavin utilized fluorescent light tubes as his primary artistic medium
• Flavin's installations transformed spaces through the use of colored light and simple geometric arrangements
• Flavin's works explored the interaction between light, color, and architecture (Monument for V. Tatlin, Untitled (to Donna) 5a)
• Anne Truitt combined elements of painting and sculpture in her minimalist works
• Truitt's signature pieces consisted of tall, painted wooden columns that blurred the boundaries between two and three dimensions
• Truitt's use of color and subtle variations in surface texture created a sense of depth and complexity within seemingly simple forms

Perceptual Experiences

• Both Flavin and Truitt focused on creating immersive environments that altered viewers' perception of space
• Their works emphasized the importance of the viewer's physical presence and movement within the exhibition space
• Flavin's light installations often created unexpected color interactions and shadows, challenging viewers' visual expectations
• Truitt's sculptures invited viewers to consider the relationship between color, form, and their own bodily scale