How to Paint in the Minimalism Style

Minimalism is an attempt to boil art and creativity down to the most basic level. Minimalist painting explores the simplest modes of expression: color and shape. Artists may not need the steadiest hand to paint in the minimalism style, but creative vision is required.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Acrylic or oil paint
• Paper or canvas

Learn to Think Like a Minimalist

1. Ignore social commentary and history. Minimalism strips art of such earthly concerns. Minimalist art has no agenda and includes no allusions.

2. Forget about self-expression and narrative. Minimalism strives to take the artist entirely out of the picture. The paintings are not about anything specific in the conventional sense.

3. Think about the nature of visual art. Visual art is made up of only a few building blocks: color, material, shapes and lines. Consider the expressive qualities of those building blocks on their own.

4. Consider a painting hanging alone on a wall, consisting of only the basic building blocks of expression and lacking a known artist. Determine the painting's worth at face value. If you can measure that value, you can think like a minimalist.

Paint in the Minimalism Style

5. Choose a simple geometric design. Pick one that you believe is particularly beautiful or expressive. What the design expresses is not important.

6. Select a few few basic colors. Use paint straight out of the tube. Pick colors that you feel are beautiful or expressive and best compliment the geometric design you have chosen.

7. Choose a basic material. A minimalist painting can be done on paper or canvas, which are the most common painting materials. A painting can also be made on wood or metal, which have a form of expression of their own.

8. Avoid free expression as you paint. This may not be easy, but to paint in the minimalist style, you must adhere to strict dogma. Let the shapes, lines, materials and colors speak for themselves and do not put words in their mouths.

Tips & Warnings

• Minimalism can refer to anything that is simple and lacks ornamentation. A painter can be influenced by the ideas of minimalism, avoid all excess in her paintings and yet paint in any other artistic style. You do not need to stick to the extremes.
• Minimalism is a heavily criticized art form. A lot of critics accuse the practice of being elitist and guilty of "art for art's sake." Do not let some bad press sway your personal opinion of minimalist painting.