MINIMALISM & POSTMINIMALISM

Minimalism, which developed in the 1960s, has been widely recognized as one of the most important aesthetic movements, styles, or tendencies of the later half of the twentieth century.  More than simply of interest for itself, minimalism has served as a pivotal reference or turning point for nearly all the developments in the visual arts that have come after it (including postminimal sculpture, conceptual art, performance art, process art, and institutional critique) and remains a major touchstone for contemporary artistic practices.  This course considers minimalism within a historical and interdisciplinary perspective (including related developments in music, dance, and film) and follows its development into postminimalism.  In addition to providing important historical information, the course and topic allow for important investigations into questions of artistic formalism and its challengers and notions of art’s critical and political role within the pivotal moment of the 1960s.