A Brief History of Minimalism極簡(jiǎn)主義簡(jiǎn)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(jiǎn)主義的生活有沒(méi)有標(biāo)準(zhǔn)定義呢？你應(yīng)該對(duì)它作出自定義還是采用別人的定義呢？回答這個(gè)問(wèn)題之前，讓我們先向你介紹一下極簡(jiǎn)主義這個(gè)詞的簡(jiǎn)要?dú)v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 “l(fā)ess 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(jiǎn)主義的正式定義（采用牛津詞典的說(shuō)法）揭示了一種美學(xué)原則，但是這個(gè)詞的意義與時(shí)俱進(jìn)地演變，其含義對(duì)于很多不同的人來(lái)說(shuō)差別很大。這很大程度上是因?yàn)椤吧偌词嵌唷边@個(gè)概念相當(dāng)有彈性，并且它可以應(yīng)用于生活方式、藝術(shù)、時(shí)尚、建筑、文學(xué)、音樂(lè)和家居裝飾等多種方面。下面就從過(guò)往200年擷取幾個(gè)亮點(diǎn)吧。

1800—1850： introducing simple living in America

1800—1850：美國(guó)引入簡(jiǎn)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(yàn)主義哲學(xué)在美國(guó)扎根，并由拉爾夫·沃爾多·愛(ài)默生和亨利·戴維·梭羅這樣的人物推廣開(kāi)來(lái)。

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(xiàn)的，他們秉持理想主義的觀念，認(rèn)為可以通過(guò)獨(dú)處和生活簡(jiǎn)單化來(lái)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(shí)還沒(méi)有明確提出極簡(jiǎn)主義的說(shuō)法，但此后若干年，我們會(huì)看到這種簡(jiǎn)樸的新型生活方式在持續(xù)演變。

1920—1930： the elevated design era

1920—1930：設(shè)計(jì)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(jiǎn)主義一詞最密切聯(lián)系的現(xiàn)代風(fēng)格受到包豪斯學(xué)校產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)理念的重大影響——其理念致力于平衡產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)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(shí)代，學(xué)校師生為平平無(wú)奇的工業(yè)化產(chǎn)品提供了另外的可能，對(duì)藝術(shù)在社會(huì)中可以發(fā)揮的功用展開(kāi)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(guò)在生產(chǎn)隨處可見(jiàn)的廉價(jià)產(chǎn)品的過(guò)程中注入創(chuàng)意和思考，包豪斯學(xué)校啟發(fā)了為日常生活提升設(shè)計(jì)的概念。

1960—1970： minimalist expansion

1960—1970：極簡(jiǎn)主義擴(kuò)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(shù)家群體抗拒美術(shù)的沉悶慣例，而極簡(jiǎn)主義這個(gè)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(jiǎn)主義開(kāi)始被用作一種非正式術(shù)語(yǔ)，出現(xiàn)在寫作、繪畫、建筑及其他美學(xué)、設(shè)計(jì)和創(chuàng)意領(lǐng)域。極簡(jiǎn)主義者開(kāi)始脫離前輩的抽象表現(xiàn)主義，從藝術(shù)作品中去除敘事或者隱喻，專注于工業(yè)原料、空白空間和流暢簡(jiǎn)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(yōu)秀設(shè)計(jì)原則，自此，在化繁為簡(jiǎn)、用戶友好的產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)潮流中，他始終被譽(yù)為最有影響力的人物之一——這種設(shè)計(jì)潮流通稱極簡(jiǎn)主義設(shè)計(jì)。

1980—2000： adaptation of simple living

1980—2000：適配簡(jiǎn)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(jiǎn)主義歷史的下一個(gè)階段見(jiàn)證了簡(jiǎn)單藝術(shù)和簡(jiǎn)單生活運(yùn)動(dòng)日益興起。麥當(dāng)勞在羅馬開(kāi)店遭到抗議，繼而慢食運(yùn)動(dòng)開(kāi)啟。隨后，這又在可持續(xù)時(shí)尚和旅行等領(lǐng)域激發(fā)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(duì)這樣一種現(xiàn)代觀念，即認(rèn)為快速獲取和積累越多物質(zhì)或經(jīng)驗(yàn)從某種程度上看似乎越好。他們相信質(zhì)量勝于數(shù)量，將生活調(diào)節(jié)到更從容的節(jié)奏會(huì)令人獲益更多。

2000—Present： minimalism becomes mainstream

2000至今：極簡(jiǎn)主義成為主流

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

簡(jiǎn)約哲學(xué)由來(lái)已久，但博客激發(fā)起這一代人將“少即是多”作為一種生活方式的哲學(xué)加以應(yīng)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(guò)去10年，大批極簡(jiǎn)主義專家把一個(gè)哲學(xué)概念變成了一種時(shí)尚，比如不多于100件生活用品的挑戰(zhàn)、30天不購(gòu)物比賽、扔掉10件物品的指南等等。人們開(kāi)始創(chuàng)作將極簡(jiǎn)主義應(yīng)用于不同生活領(lǐng)域的腳本。但是，盡管這些規(guī)則本意良好，有時(shí)也會(huì)產(chǎn)生負(fù)面結(jié)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(xiàn)在如果有人告訴你他們是極簡(jiǎn)主義者，你可不能想當(dāng)然認(rèn)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(yuǎn)。一個(gè)當(dāng)今無(wú)處不在的詞已經(jīng)導(dǎo)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(duì)極簡(jiǎn)主義的確切含義可能有無(wú)數(shù)種解讀，但了解藝術(shù)運(yùn)動(dòng)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(yīng)用極簡(jiǎn)主義。極簡(jiǎn)主義就是剝離所有非必需物件，了解其歷史，可以激發(fā)你的靈感，在多個(gè)領(lǐng)域?qū)崿F(xiàn)極簡(jiǎn)生活。不必非得追隨極端的極簡(jiǎn)生活，一樣可以從極簡(jiǎn)文化中獲益或?qū)ζ溆兴梃b。