Over the past decade a flood of minimalist gurus turned a philosophy into a fad with 100-item or less challenges, 30-day no shopping contests, 10-things to throw away guides, and so on. The philosophy of simplicity is ages old but within this generation blogging sparked a heightened interest in applying “less is more” as a lifestyle philosophy. Suddenly minimalism became the de facto term used across all of these communities. 2000 – Present: Minimalism Becomes Mainstreamīlogging became mainstream and advocates of simple living, good design, and the various slow movements started using the medium as a way to share their ideas. They believe quality is preferred over quantity and adjusting your life to a more deliberate pace will help you get the most out of it. Supporters of “slowness” resist the modern idea that the fast acquisition and accumulation of more things or experiences is somehow better. It then inspired similar subcultures in other categories like sustainable fashion and travel. The slow food movement was initiated after the opening of a McDonald’s was protested in Rome. The next stage of the history of minimalism saw an ongoing increase in the simple art and simple living movements. Moreover, in the 70s Dieter Rams introduced his principles of good design and ever since has been praised as one of the most influential figures in the pared back, user-friendly product design trend that’s so commonly called minimalist design. Minimalists started to break off from the Abstract Expressionism of previous generations, removing the storytelling or metaphors from their art and focusing on industrial materials, white space, and sleek, simplistic works. Minimalism started being used as a colloquial term in writing, painting, architecture, and other aesthetic, design, and creative fields. The word minimalism itself gains popularity amongst certain groups of young artists in the 60s who resisted the stifling conventions of fine art (such as abstract painter Agnes Martin, sculptor and artist Donald Judd, artist Frank Stella and others). In the Bauhaus Era, teachers and students of the school offered an alternative to uninspiring manufactured products and reimagined the role art could play in society.īy injecting creativity and thoughtfulness into the production of otherwise cheap and ubiquitous items, the Bauhaus school inspired the concept of elevated design for everyday life. The modern style that the word minimalism is most associated with was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus School’s ideal of balancing beauty with utility in product design. While not expressly stated as minimalism at this time, this new approach to simplicity is something that we would continue to see evolve for years to come. They held the idealistic view that insight and enlightenment can be gained through solitude and simplicity, such as illustrated in the book Walden. Here are a few highlights from the past 200 years: 1800-1850: Introducing Simple Living in AmericaĪ transcendentalist philosophy takes hold in America and is popularized by the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
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