When less is more.
Minimalist art, characterized by its simplicity, clean lines, and deliberate lack of excess, often fosters a sense of calm within a space. Simultaneously, it’s this very simplicity that can also make the most powerful statement.
We’re proud to feature many minimalist works, available to CoCollect members.
Sara Genn
Sara Genn’s artistic style includes her muted use of color and patterning in soft-edge abstractions. She continually references the landscape or textile designs in order to shift our perceptions of the traditions of painting. Genn’s paintings exhibit a mastery of color concepts and minimal abstraction designs.
These minimalist artworks can make a particularly big impact when placed against colored or wallpapered walls. But equally, minimalist art can create a beautifully understated and calm feel with its often limited color palette or materials selection.
Agnes Martin
Often associated with minimalism, Agnes Martin believed that art should be reduced to its essentials, and she was known for keeping the pencil lines from her sketches on the canvas. She began her work by relaxing in her rocking chair, waiting for inspiration to strike, before delving into the more technical aspects of her craft, which sometimes involved mathematical calculations and elaborate number crunching. Her work was deeply influenced by concepts of spirituality and Zen Buddhism.
Derrick Velasquez
Denver, CO-based artist Derrick Velasquez challenges the traditional norms of minimalism by combining both vibrant and subtle colors. In his work, “Untitled 340,” Velasquez uses layered strips of vinyl that evoke distorted rainbows or the growth rings of trees.
Mary Little
Sculptor Mary Little uses various shades of unbleached cotton canvas to create different forms and shapes, exploring the interaction between light, surface, and gravity. Her use of a single material contributes to the lack of clutter within her work, resulting in a quiet and elegant sculptural effect.
Martha Tuttle
Martha Tuttle combines painting, textile, and sculpture. Her art reflects a strong feeling of belonging that extends to her love for New Mexico’s high desert, which inspires her work. The dry riverbeds there unexpectedly fill with rainwater, creating vibrant colors in the mud and ultimately influencing her color palettes. While the textures in Martha’s pieces are far from minimal, the whole of each work communicates the minimalism of the desert.
Minimalist art is a testament that less can be more. Whether you’re drawn to its clean aesthetic or the feeling it creates, its appeal lies in its simplistic beauty.
