A Brief History of Minimalism極簡主義簡史

孫力/譯

Is there a standard definition of minimalist living？ Should you define it on your own or adopt someone elses？ To answer this， we will first give you a brief history of the term minimalism.

極簡主義的生活有沒有標準定義呢？你應該對它作出自定義還是采用別人的定義呢？回答這個問題之前，讓我們先向你介紹一下極簡主義這個詞的簡要歷史吧。

The formal （in the Oxford dictionary） definition of minimalism reveals an aesthetic principle but over time the word has evolved to mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. This is largely because of the elasticity of the concept of “less is more” and the ability to apply it to lifestyle， art， fashion， architecture， literature， music and home decor. Here are a few highlights from the past 200 years：

極簡主義的正式定義（采用牛津詞典的說法）揭示了一種美學原則，但是這個詞的意義與時俱進地演變，其含義對于很多不同的人來說差別很大。這很大程度上是因為“少即是多”這個概念相當有彈性，并且它可以應用于生活方式、藝術、時尚、建筑、文學、音樂和家居裝飾等多種方面。下面就從過往200年擷取幾個亮點吧。

1800—1850： introducing simple living in America

1800—1850：美國引入簡單生活理念

A transcendentalist philosophy takes hold in America and is popularized by the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

超驗主義哲學在美國扎根，并由拉爾夫·沃爾多·愛默生和亨利·戴維·梭羅這樣的人物推廣開來。

They held the idealistic view that insight and enlightenment can be gained through solitude and simplicity， such as illustrated in the book Walden.

就像《瓦爾登湖》一書所展現的，他們秉持理想主義的觀念，認為可以通過獨處和生活簡單化來獲得洞察力與啟示。

While not expressly stated as minimalism at this time， this new approach to simplicity is something that we would continue to see evolve for years to come.

盡管這時還沒有明確提出極簡主義的說法，但此后若干年，我們會看到這種簡樸的新型生活方式在持續演變。

1920—1930： the elevated design era

1920—1930：設計提升年代

The modern style that the word minimalism is most associated with was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus Schools ideal of balancing beauty with utility in product design.

與極簡主義一詞最密切聯系的現代風格受到包豪斯學校產品設計理念的重大影響——其理念致力于平衡產品設計的美感和功能性。

In the Bauhaus Era， teachers and students of the school offered an alternative to uninspiring manufactured products and reimagined the role art could play in society.

在包豪斯時代，學校師生為平平無奇的工業化產品提供了另外的可能，對藝術在社會中可以發揮的功用展開了新的想象。

By injecting creativity and thoughtfulness into the production of otherwise cheap and ubiquitous items， the Bauhaus School inspired the concept of elevated design for everyday life.

通過在生產隨處可見的廉價產品的過程中注入創意和思考，包豪斯學校啟發了為日常生活提升設計的概念。

1960—1970： minimalist expansion

1960—1970：極簡主義擴張

The word minimalism itself gains popularity amongst certain groups of young artists in the 60s who resisted the stifling conventions of fine art.

1960年代，某些年輕藝術家群體抗拒美術的沉悶慣例，而極簡主義這個詞本身就獲得了他們的青睞。

Minimalism started being used as a colloquial term in writing， painting， architecture， and other aesthetic， design， and creative fields. Minimalists started to break off from the Abstract Expressionism of previous generations， removing the storytelling or metaphors from their art and focusing on industrial materials， white space， and sleek， simplistic works.

極簡主義開始被用作一種非正式術語，出現在寫作、繪畫、建筑及其他美學、設計和創意領域。極簡主義者開始脫離前輩的抽象表現主義，從藝術作品中去除敘事或者隱喻，專注于工業原料、空白空間和流暢簡潔的作品。

Moreover， in the 70s Dieter Rams introduced his principles of good design and ever since has been praised as one of the most influential figures in the pared back， user-friendly product design trend thats so commonly called minimalist design.

此外，1970年代，迪特·拉姆斯提出了他的優秀設計原則，自此，在化繁為簡、用戶友好的產品設計潮流中，他始終被譽為最有影響力的人物之一——這種設計潮流通稱極簡主義設計。

1980—2000： adaptation of simple living

1980—2000：適配簡單生活

The next stage of the history of minimalism saw an ongoing increase in the simple art and simple living movements. The slow food movement was initiated after the opening of a McDonalds was protested in Rome. It then inspired similar subcultures in other categories like sustainable fashion and travel.

極簡主義歷史的下一個階段見證了簡單藝術和簡單生活運動日益興起。麥當勞在羅馬開店遭到抗議，繼而慢食運動開啟。隨后，這又在可持續時尚和旅行等領域激發出類似的亞文化。

Supporters of “slowness” resist the modern idea that the fast acquisition and accumulation of more things or experiences is somehow better. They believe quality is preferred over quantity and adjusting your life to a more deliberate pace will help you get the most out of it.

“慢”的支持者們反對這樣一種現代觀念，即認為快速獲取和積累越多物質或經驗從某種程度上看似乎越好。他們相信質量勝于數量，將生活調節到更從容的節奏會令人獲益更多。

2000—Present： minimalism becomes mainstream

2000至今：極簡主義成為主流

The philosophy of simplicity is ages old but within this generation blogging sparked a heightened interest in applying “less is more” as a lifestyle philosophy.

簡約哲學由來已久，但博客激發起這一代人將“少即是多”作為一種生活方式的哲學加以應用的高漲熱情。

Over the past decade a flood of minimalist gurus turned a philosophy into a fad with 100-item or less challenges， 30-day no shopping contests， 10-things to throw away guides， and so on. People started writing scripts for applying minimalism to different areas of life. However， while well-meaning， sometimes these rules have adverse outcomes.

過去10年，大批極簡主義專家把一個哲學概念變成了一種時尚，比如不多于100件生活用品的挑戰、30天不購物比賽、扔掉10件物品的指南等等。人們開始創作將極簡主義應用于不同生活領域的腳本。但是，盡管這些規則本意良好，有時也會產生負面結果。

At this point if someone tells you they are a minimalist you cant assume you know what they mean. And even if their definition happens to be similar to yours， their interpretation may still be miles away from your thinking. A now ubiquitous term has led to confusion and conflict that overshadows its positive connotation.

現在如果有人告訴你他們是極簡主義者，你可不能想當然認為自己了解他們的意思。而且，即使他們的定義恰好和你的相似，他們的解讀也許仍然和你的想法相去甚遠。一個當今無處不在的詞已經導致困惑和矛盾，遮蔽了它原本的積極含義。

While there can be thousands of interpretations of what exactly minimalism means， understanding the history of the art movement and even the principles of thought behind it can help you to apply minimalism however youd like. Drawing on this history of the art that strips away any objects that are not essential can give you inspiration for minimalist living across a number of areas. You dont necessarily have to follow extreme minimalist living to get the benefits or borrow from the minimalist culture.

盡管對極簡主義的確切含義可能有無數種解讀，但了解藝術運動的歷史及其背后的思想原則，可以幫助你以自己喜歡的方式應用極簡主義。極簡主義就是剝離所有非必需物件，了解其歷史，可以激發你的靈感，在多個領域實現極簡生活。不必非得追隨極端的極簡生活，一樣可以從極簡文化中獲益或對其有所借鑒。