Minimalism: the abundance of nothing.

I bet when Wollheim coined the term "Minimalism" he couldn't have imagined how important it was going to become in the future. It came into existence in the mid 20th century right after Modernism, which rejects the traditional approach and is driven by the want to create new and original forms of expression.

Minimalism is now seen in art (abstractions), literature (sparse prose), theatre (stripped staging), music (repetitive parts) and architecture (clean designs). In art, Minimalism is the concept of stripping off art to its basic elements — putting the purity of the object in the spotlight and highlighting its relationship with the space it is kept in.

Looking back, why did the wealthy start wanting simplicity? After the Wall Street crash in 1929, the upper middle classes couldn't support their previous lavish lifestyle, so artists were commissioned to make furniture from glass and steel which were cheaper than wood. This stripped modernism was even more advocated by the usage of industrial materials to create domestic spaces by the people at the German Bauhaus school of art.

Over the years, minimalism and simplicity — once tethered to economical conditions — have now become signs of wealth, intellectual superiority and artistic understanding. It tends to give a sense of sophistication and luxury. This can be seen in the shift brands have taken by rebranding to minimalist logos, stripping off all color and vibrancy from their previous identities.

While this pull towards minimal serif fonts keeps increasing, there has been a constant need for chaos — big, bold expressions. This has led to the re-emergence of Maximalism to keep up with the sharp drop in the average human attention span. Everything has to be bigger and bolder to get our attention.

Maximalism has been implemented in India for the longest time — the coloured back doors of trucks, the vibrant and chaotic posters put up for house warming ceremonies, even movie posters. It's expressive and alive. All of this has been washed out in the name of modernization and is now associated with nostalgia.

I personally am not a big fan of minimalism because it feels lifeless, without joy or fun. But I leave it up to you to pick your stance.