In order to achieve this, they attempted to remove all suggestions of self-expressionism from the art work (source), such as:
Composition
Complexity of form
Themes
Metaphorical associations, symbolism, suggestions of spiritual transcendence
Representation, reference or association
Meaning, sentiment, emotion
Social comment
Elements of traditional work
Any other signs of personal expression of the artist, his guiding hand or thought processes
From then on, all choices stem from the intention of giving the work a literal presence:
Use of unitary, geometric forms, as these could be mistaken neither for representations of the external world nor for the narrative of a story (source)
Use of monochromatic palettes of the primary colors, as these are the most basic and thus neutral of colors. Color was not used to express feeling or mood, but it simply to delineate space (source)
Use of plain, industrial, factory-made or store-bought, mass-produced materials, as these underscored the absence of the artist’s individual ‘mark’ (source). These modern materials also defy the traditional artistic materials (source). Materials were left raw or unaltered and were not intended to symbolize anything else (source).
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