07/22/2015

De Los Santos

The Cube in Minimalist Art

For centuries, artists have been fascinated with the cube; this form appeared in almost

every artwork, whether it was as a main focus or an initial design. However, during the

Minimalist movement, the cube form dominated the art form. Artists such as Donald Judd, Tony

Smith, and Carl Andre utilized the cube as the main form in their works. The cube became the

centerpiece in Minimalist art, creating the illusion that artists were imitating one another. The

repeated usage of this form made critics question if the objects they made were art or not. This

form appeared in almost every Minimalist composition, helping to underscore them as objects

rather than sculptures because artists were more concerned in the creation of a form that avoided

the appearance of fine art.1 Nevertheless, the originality, complexity, and uniqueness of

Minimalist compositions proved that artists adopted the cube form and elevated it to an

incomparable art movement. In this paper I will argue that the cube became the main focal point

in Minimalist movement for two reasons: its mathematical properties and their physical

manifestation in architectural space, and its lack of any reference to the human form.

The form of the cube has precedence in the Modern art movements of the historical

avant-garde. It first appeared in Cubism, breaking any surface of natural form, making artworks

look unnatural. There is nothing cubic in nature; therefore, artworks that incorporated this form

or shape were not trying to imitate or replicate nature. Though Cubist artists represented avant-

garde paintings without the need of imitating nature, the use of the cube and geometric shapes

1
Donald Judd, “Specific Objects,” in Art in Theory 1900-2000, ed. Charles Harrison and Paul
Wood (USA: Blackwell Publishing, 1928-1994) 824.
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changed the perspective of traditional artistic styles. Cubist paintings formed part of the

geometric abstraction reducing the art fundamentals into a minimum compositional element.

Sculptures, however, continued following characteristics of its formal world. They were

incapable of demonstrating a radical break with the past; these sculptures still appeared

representational of the human form. It was not until Angel Ferrant created Serie Venecia 10

(Fig.1), a sculpture that utilized geometric form without idealizing nature. However, this

sculpture manifested the abstract movement, transforming what painters captured in their works

into a three-dimensional form. Ferrant’s sculpture was unique for its time; the artist created a

sculptural model that moved away from the human representational form, but it followed the

Abstract Expressionist paintings’ footsteps.2

On the other hand, sculptures did not continue to be figurative. Following from the legacy

of the historical avant-garde, Minimalism later adopted the cube, but to different ends. They

began to move away from the figurative nature and created a new level of abstraction

incorporating geometric figures that were seen before in architecture and art movements such as

Constructivism.3 Even though Minimalist compositions resembled architectural styles, they carry

a greater connection with Constructivism, since “ both movements propounded an unconditional

rejection of the…classical tradition in art.”4 Just like Constructivist forms involved an overthrow

2
Jermayne MacAgy, Art Has Many Facets: The Artistic Fascination with the Cube (Texas:
University of Saint Thomas, 1963), 4.
3
Ibid. 6.
4
James Meyer, Minimalism: Art and Polemics in the Sixties (London: Yale University Press,
2004), 262.
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of the social hierarchy during the revolutionary period, Minimalist compositions reflect the same

anti-establishment with fine art5 based on the use of its peculiar cubed forms.

The use of the cube form in Minimalist compositions did not allow any gap for

interpretation in any of the works. For this reason, Minimalist artists were able to successfully

provide a concept that was abandonment to the illusion of anything human-like. In addition, the

creation of these objects washed away the thin line that once divided painting and sculpture, and

simplified it into the use of a single form, which automatically became associated with

Minimalism.6 In addition, these objects did not suggest a representation of a space or its

surroundings, which is what most paintings and sculptures conveyed. The cube became the

subject in Minimalism that enabled artists to explore the many forms of manipulation with this

new subject without leaving the cubic original shape.

Artists such as Donald Judd realized that this “three-dimensional form is the real space.”7

Donald Judd, in his essay “Specific Object,” confirmed that the use of three-dimensional objects

instead of paintings would be more powerful and more specific.8 Judd created a set of objects,

which represented the cube, and like many other minimalist artists, Judd denied that the creation

of these objects had anything to do with a historical or symbolic meaning.9 In an interview, Judd

once said, “I don’t think there is anything special about squares, which I don’t use, or cubes.

They certainly don’t have any intrinsic meaning or superiority. One thing though, cubes are a lot

5
Ibid. 264.
6
Donald Judd, “Specific Objects,” in Art in Theory 1900-2000, ed. Charles Harrison and Paul
Wood (USA: Blackwell Publishing, 1928-1994) 825-829.
7
Ibid., 830.
8
Benjamin Buchloh, “Conceptual Art 1962-69,” in October: The Second Decade, 1986-1996,
Volume 76, ed. Rosalind E. Krauss(New York: MIT Press, 1997) 119.
9
Ibid., 125.
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easier to make than spheres. The main virtue of geometric shapes is that they are not organic, as

all art otherwise is. A form that’s neither geometric nor organic would be a great discovery.”10

With these words, Judd confirmed that he was trying to create objects that have not been

discovered in art, objects that were not a visual representation of the human form. There was no

doubt that Judd wanted to be as original and unique as possible, but ended up adopting a

preexisting form and elevated it to become art. Furthermore, he explored the cube and the square

in numerous compositions. In his series Untitled, he explored different materials and colors,

which made each composition look different, although they had the same form. In addition, by

denominating these pieces as Untitled, Judd eliminated any reference with this piece and the

illusion of hiding a meaning.

The real cube, as a cubic object, resembles a reduction of the universe, transforming a

sphere into a cubic object; a mathematical facet mostly used in architecture,11 which one could

argue is what Minimalist artists adopted from architectural design. However, Donald Judd was

against reductionism and claimed that he did not pretend12 to create artworks that not only

resemble the cube, but rather elevates it to become specific objects. In the article that Judd wrote

for the book “Art Yearbook 8” in 1965, he denoted that there was an emergence of a new type of

three-dimensional works that were neither paintings nor sculptures. Among these works,

according to Judd, there was not an artistic intention, but rather the creation of objects based on

10
Ibid., 130.
11
Jermayne MacAgy, Art Has Many Facets: The Artistic Fascination with the Cube (Texas:
University of Saint Thomas, 1963), 10.
12
James Meyer, Minimalism: Art and Polemics in the Sixties (London: Yale University Press,
2004), 233.
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the appearance and materials that the artists used to create them.13 These new works show a

connection with Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades by repositioning found objects and

transforming them into art. For example, in one of his piece from the Untitled series (Fig. 2),

Judd wanted to conveyed an object that could exist in a three-dimensional space without

representing a painting or a sculpture,14 which is also related to Duchamp’s definition of

conceptual art. Judd not only utilized the cube as an object, but he also insinuated that this form

could be represented outside the artistic term. In addition, the sense of adjustment and cubic

configuration that characterized Judd’s works provide a feeling of physical presence, which is

evident in his series Untitled. These pieces demonstrated a sense of adjustment in the concrete

particularity that is manifested in the manipulation of the use of the cube form.

The purpose of Judd's works, as well as some of the most representative Minimalist

cubes, is to eliminate any determination to classify an identity to these objects other than their

own constituent components, which are the material, shape, color and volume.15 Minimalists that

concentrated in the creation of complex “specific objects”16 were able to explore the use of

different media without changing the shape. However, the use of this form created a single

perspective of identification to the viewers; one could identify any cube form as a Minimalist

object. Minimalist works that represented the cube as subject utilizing similar materials, gives

one the allusion that the same artist perhaps created these pieces. These similarities are clearly

represented in Untitled from Terminal Series by Larry Bell (Fig. 3) and Untitled (Four Mirrored

13
Ibid., 234-235.
14
Donald Judd, “Specific Objects,” in Art in Theory 1900-2000, ed. Charles Harrison and Paul
Wood (USA: Blackwell Publishing, 1928-1994) 824.
15
Ibid., 825.
16
Ibid., 824.
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Cubes) Robert Morris (Fig. 4). The materials used by both of these artists showed a new

perspective to the viewers. These pieces invited the viewers to form part of the composition by

projecting their reflection standing in front or walking around them. This way of representing a

cube shows some connection to the physical manifestation of Modern architecture, because of

the use of reflective material on cubic forms.

On the contrary, there were artists who explored the cube in a less complex manner and

at the same time utilized it as the main subject in their compositions. For example, Die by Tony

Smith (Fig. 5) is a six foot steel symmetric cube that clearly rejects any resemblance to abstract

art and at the same time; it adopts strains of architecture with the use of industrial manufactured

medium. Smith created a unitary composition that followed the state of being an object with no

meaning or symbolic resemblance. In this piece, Smith maintained symmetry by creating a cube

which panels are the same size. In addition, this work contrasts fine art in the way it breaks the

boundaries of not showing complexity, but at the same time he maintained it in its title.17 Die is a

word with many meanings: as verb, meaning the end of a specific state, unable to return a form,

a word that provokes trepidation to humans; and as a noun mostly used in architecture, as a tool

used for molding metal.18 The name of this piece did not match its overall look, which eliminates

any connection between the titled and the piece. According to Smith, Die is a piece with many

references that could be coped coherently.19 Aside from its title, the use of the cube represents

what minimalists claimed about their works, that they are objects rather than sculptures. Smith

17
Anna Chave, "Minimalism and the Rhetoric of Power," in Art in Modern Culture, ed. Francis
Francina, (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1992), 250.
18
Ibid., 256.
19
Anna Chave, "Girl Being a Sculpture," in Eva Hesse: A Retrospective, ed. Helen A. Cooper
(London: Yale University Pres, 1993), 99-117.
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 De Los Santos
did not create a sculpture, but rather an object. The restraint of the shape and dimension in this

piece causes the effects of present evidence, requiring the viewer to consider the terms of the

relationship between them and the work. The cubic shape of this piece resembles an object, but

the size makes it look more like a monument. Furthermore, this piece provoked a sense of

connection between the work and the spectator because it almost matches the size of the average

human. In addition, it is not as big as a monument and it is not as small as an average size object,

which also shows a connection between this work and architecture. Die could be represented as

architectural ornament. Nevertheless, the volume and cubic shape of this structure eliminates the

architectural aspect of ornamentation, making this piece fall into the category of “beautifying a

space.” 20

In Minimalism, there are many artists that focused on the creation of cubic compositions,

which at the time represented a problem of volume and space. In some cases, in Tony Smith’s

cubes, volume and space are presented impenetrable; Die is a great example of that, with the use

of steel and its size provoking a sense of superiority over the viewer. In other occasions, the cube

went from not being a simple insinuation to becoming a regular lattice that divides the interior,

highlighting the spatial limits of its volume.21 On the other hand, in some sculptures (objects) of

Donald Judd, we can appreciate how the artist discovers one face of making the inside of the

cube accessible to the eye, demonstrating a clear difference between volume and space. An

example of this work is shown in one of Judd’s pieces from the Untitled series (Fig. 6); the use

of color created a sense of softness in the cubes, which eliminates any sense of intimidation. The

20
Jermayne MacAgy, Art Has Many Facets: The Artistic Fascination with the Cube (Texas:
University of Saint Thomas, 1963), 14-17.
21
James Meyer, Minimalism: Art and Polemics in the Sixties (London: Yale University Press,
2004), 242.
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contradiction between value and space between these could be categorized as a new facet in

minimalist art, which allow the artists to explore the cube in different ways.

In addition, the theme of the cube became very obsessive in minimalist art to the level

that artists, such Carl Andre, created compositions that repeated this form several times. For

example, 44 Carbon Copper Triads (Fig. 7) was created by repeating the cube form in different

sizes. In this piece Carl Andre worked with the manipulation of different elements as the space,

representing a variation of the cube. This piece demonstrates how the cube shape was adopted

and transformed to a complex and unique piece. Andre transformed the cube visual size and

distributed it into a space where the viewer could appreciate its form from different angles.22 In

addition, Andre created a piece that contrasted Judd’s use of repetitive objects to manipulate

physical space without leaving the stage of Minimalism. For example, Andre maintained balance

without placing the cubes next to each other.

On the other hand, the work of Carl Andre and Donald Judd show a relationship not only

in the use of the cube, but in the logic of using the same material in many of their pieces. Both

artists created an expensive group of work that showed similarities in their overall appearance.

They created many pieces that show a repetition of form that could be displayed on the same

manner; for instance, on the ground. Donald created a group of objects that imitated one another,

but that differed in the use of materials. The materials that have been used to build the different

copies of the works from both artists are very different, which demonstrates or articulates a

variety in their overall objective design. The repetition of the form, the symmetrical addition,

demonstrated an elemental distribution in the finality the works created.

22
James Meyer, Minimalism: Art and Polemics in the Sixties (London: Yale University Press,
2004), 198.
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 De Los Santos
Another artist that adopted the cube form in some of his works was Sol LeWitt. In his

work Incomplete Open Cubes (Fig. 8), LeWitt studies the possibilities of manipulation in

different elements of the cube, working with a repertoire of structural resources: a cube cross-

links utilizing characters that could be read as two different version of the cube.23 Furthermore,

in this piece, LeWitt work with physical mathematical manipulation of the cube by representing

the form overlapping each other without leaving its cubic complexity. Incomplete Open Cubes

makes various visual and physical effects in its overall look, exploring the visual

conceptualization of the cube; one could argue that in this piece, LeWitt represents a second

level of abstraction.

The cube became a representation of most of the minimalist composition. The use of this

cubic identity affected the way the Minimalist movement was perceived by artists who rejected

it. There were a group of artists that avoided the Minimalist identification. These groups of

artists were called Post-minimalist, based on the fact that their works were created as a reaction

to Minimalism.24 For example, Eva Hesse, a Post-minimalist artist who explored the cube and

incorporated it in some of her most fascinating works. In her piece Assenccion II (Fig. 9), Hesse

adopted the minimalist form and transformed it into a piece with a variety of meaning and

function. Assenccion II is a cube that instead of been perceived as a Minimalist object, based on

the fact that it is a cube, it is a view of a representative box; which critics such as Ann Chave,

view as a “Pandora Box,”25 a trap. By creating this piece as a reaction to Minimalism, Hesse

proved that the cube was irrevocably the main focal point in Minimalism. The used of

23
Ibid. 175.
24
Lucy Lippard, Eva Hesse (New York: New York University Press, 1976), 26.
25
Anna Chave, "Girl Being a Sculpture," in Eva Hesse: A Retrospective, ed. Helen A. Cooper
(London: Yale University Press, 1993), 99-117.
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 De Los Santos
symbolism associated with the cube reject any connection to the cubes in Minimalism. In

addition, the human-like metaphorical connection that this piece creates, which invite the viewer

to touch it and perhaps relate with it, indicates that this piece could not be associated with

Minimalist cubes. Minimalist cubes avoided any connection or resemblance that idealized any

meaning.

In conclusion, the structures formed with cubes appropriated the use of volume and space

in its total integrity. These works, whether they had a closed volume or not, represent a series of

works that constituted with the adoption of the cube as a single unit. The use of the cube in

minimalist art demonstrated that this form broke the relationship between sculpture and painting,

posing a procedure that was represented in all the pieces with the exploration of the form and the

materials. When an artist works with the creation of a specific object, especially with a form with

the level of abstraction, as is the cube, the artistic interest had to change in a way that does not

affect the intention of the piece. For example, the relationship between the concept and the object

had to change in the way that is perceived by the viewer, which is what the Minimalist did by

adopting this form as a focal point. Minimalist artists adopted the mathematical properties of the

cube and its physical manifestation with architectural space in a way that was never shown

before in any other art movement. In addition, in the way Minimalists rejected any relationship

with the cube and human-like forms and in the way the cube provoked Post-minimalist attention

demonstrate that the cube form created an identity to Minimalism.

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Images

Figure 2.
Figure 1.
Donald Judd, Untitled, 1972.
Angel Ferrant, Serie Venecia 10, 1959.

Figure 3. Figure 4.
Robert Morris, Untitled (Four Mirrored
Larry Bell, Untitled from Terminal Series, Cubes), 1972.
1967.

Figure 6.

Figure 5. Donald Judd, Untitled, 1984.

Tony Smith, Die, 1962.

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 De Los Santos

Figure 7.
Figure 8.
Carl Andre, 44 Carbon Copper Triads, 1935.
Sol LeWitt, Incomplete Open Cubes, 1974.

Figure 9.

Eva Hesse, Assenccion II, 1967.

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