To make art use "the simplest tools" has long been a recurring ideal, yet it is rarely a simple task. Whether it's the simplicity of Zen aesthetics, the rejection of ornament in Modernist architecture by Mies van der Rohe, or the purity of form in a Japanese garden, artists must always consider the boundaries of space and cross-cultural perceptions.
In both Eastern and Western mystical traditions, a common theme is "what is lost is to be sought; what is let go is to be gained." In the West, the conclusion of the 9th-century Byzantine Iconoclastic Controversy ultimately allowed for the religious depiction of sacred figures. However, the debate about whether visual art should retain simplicity and brevity largely faded. Despite this, the need to fulfill spiritual needs through art persisted, leading to a visual art that was anything but plain.
For 19th-century European artists captivated by Eastern art, it seemed to offer inspiration. The simplicity, brevity, and tranquility transmitted through this form of art helped fulfill a spiritual and emotional need. The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi—an aesthetic that embraces transience and imperfection—emphasizes that beauty is both simple and naturally understated. Viewers are encouraged to appreciate beautiful objects without being overtly moved. For instance, in Katsushika Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa (19th century), people can appreciate the awe-inspiring view of the waves as an unforgettable landscape.
The maxim "less is more" is famously associated with the Modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, reflecting a viewpoint common in early 20th-century Constructivism, which argued that art should embody essential purity.
Following World War II, geometric forms and unadorned aesthetics reappeared in art and architecture. The American sculptors and theorists László Moholy-Nagy and Siegfried Giedion, in their extensive writings, explored the renewed importance of fundamental forms in art and architecture, referring to them as "particular objects" — works capable of conveying profound power through their precise, unadorned presence. These forms were not merely decorative. Similarly, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, many artists, including those who pursued geometric minimalism, focused on the pureness of color and the integration of space, as exemplified by Mark Rothko’s color field paintings like Yellow over Dark Plum (1958). Such minimalist geometry emphasized the importance of planned simplicity and the interplay of negative space and viewer participation. As Sol LeWitt articulated regarding conceptual art in 1976, "ideas alone can be works of art." The implication was that the seemingly "simple" forms of modern art, often considered "a joke" or an "embarrassment" by traditionalists, were in fact a carefully calculated challenge to conventional aesthetics, designed to provoke public thought.
