Artistic Minimalism
The beauty lies in suggestion - what isn’t displayed…
…this is partly what I find so attractive about minimalism. Paintings that display as little as possible show the confidence of the creator. They also refuse to patronise the viewer – with faith they have the intelligence and imagination to understand. From the viewer’s perspective, knowledge the painter has refined and distilled the idea(s) to just the essential elements can add value.
I think it’s also possible to be both minimal and busy in artistic style - although the two words may seem contradictory initially. Here, the term ‘minimal’ refers to a single (or fewer) idea(s) comprising the composition as opposed to the composition as a whole – the repetition then fills the support. Some of Keith Haring’s work exemplifies this, such as: ‘We The Youth’ (his 1987 mural in Philadelphia).
Keith Haring’s We The Youth - 1987 (Source: Wikipedia)
My painting Light Shade - 2019
With regards to music, my approach to production is often to build an arrangement with lots of instruments - without being too fussy – then later in the writing process selectively remove elements. Here’s roughly how it goes; I set the tempo, write a MIDI drum pattern and record synth lines. I also audition samples and add them to the arrangement if they initially sound like they might work. I fill the arrange window with tracks – the maximum number of sounds for the groove to still work, then I begin removing instruments - my least favourite first until I’m left with the bare bones. I often think the old cliche “less is more” works here so I am fairly brutal when getting rid of tracks. It’s also true that the fewer elements used the less there is to try and ‘fit together’ during the often difficult mix-down (the final adjustments before mastering). Stereo effects like reverb and delay can be used during the mix-down to bridge gaps between transients, also helping to create atmosphere.
German Dub Techno producer, Pole is possibly the best I’ve heard at minimal music production – he can retain a groove with very few elements. The track ‘Rost’ from his 2021 EP ‘Tanzboden’ (Mute Records) is a sonic masterclass in minimalism. Have a listen here
Toe
