--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Minimalism itself had a very strong…" description: "\"Minimalism itself had a very strong iconoclast impulse. You think of the sixties as loose and liberated, but in art it was actually quite the contrary...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/peter-schjeldahl-12992_art_minimalism-itself-had-a-very-strong-icon_2975547.png" --- # Minimalism itself had a very strong iconoclast impulse… ![“Minimalism itself had a very strong iconoclast impulse. You think of the sixties as loose and liberated, but in art it was actually quite the contrary.” quote by Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/peter-schjeldahl-12992_art_minimalism-itself-had-a-very-strong-icon_2975547.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/peter-schjeldahl-12992_art_minimalism-itself-had-a-very-strong-icon_2975547.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/peter-schjeldahl-12992_art_minimalism-itself-had-a-very-strong-icon_2975547.png) > “Minimalism itself had a very strong iconoclast impulse. You think of the sixties as loose and liberated, but in art it was actually quite the contrary.” [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Minimalism challenged mainstream norms, contrary to the era’s perceived liberation. **In simple terms:** Minimalism was a radical counter‑culture. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden rebellious currents. Themes art history counter‑culture minimalism Mood analytical curious Type critical reflective When to use this quote - museum curation - art education - creative practice Key Concepts sociology of art cultural criticism Questions to Reflect On - How does minimalism influence today’s design? - What contradictions exist in contemporary art? A Different Perspective Minimalism’s impact varies across media. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Impulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulse/) [Liberated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberated/) [Liberated Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberated-art-2279274/) [Minimalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minimalism/) [Minimalism Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minimalism-strong-4602634/) [Simplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplicity/) [Sixties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixties/) [Sixty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixty/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Think Sixties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-sixties-2518774/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Very strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-strong/) ## Related quotes > [Art is the means by which we communicate what it feels like to be alive - in the past, that was mixed up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/art-is-the-means-by-which-we-communicate-what-it-feels-like-to-be/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I think of the Sixties as being every man for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-tree/i-think-of-the-sixties-as-being-every-man-for-himself/) [Penelope Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-tree/) > [I think the sixties must have been quite a lot of fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tama-janowitz/i-think-the-sixties-must-have-been-quite-a-lot-of-fun/) [Tama Janowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tama-janowitz/) > [I think the Sixties in some ways is a barrier to young people today. They think of it, you know, what we're doing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-the-sixties-in-some-ways-is-a-barrier-to-young-people-today/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Except in the areas of civil rights and medical marijuana, the legacy of the sixties counterculture has been largely superficial. Still, though the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/except-in-the-areas-of-civil-rights-and-medical-marijuana-the-legacy/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Stewardesses were a joke to many of us coming of age in the liberated Sixties. 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Movies have really educated contemporary audiences to be the most intelligent, sophisticated audiences in history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/minimalism-seems-closest-to-the-sophisticated-storytelling-of-movies/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“A minimalist does not charge you for what he did. He charges you for what he did not do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-minimalist-does-not-charge-you-for-what-he-did-he-charges-you-for/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Post-minimalism implies music that's genre-less. Minimalism was very important because it came at a time when contemporary music had become so complex, so experimental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-beiser/post-minimalism-implies-music-that-s-genre-less-minimalism-was-very/) [Maya Beiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-beiser/) > [“Minimalism naturally narrows down your choices so you can arrive at quick decisions. Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/minimalism-naturally-narrows-down-your-choices-so-you-can-arrive-at/) [Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/) > [“You need to belong to yourself, and let others belong to themselves too. You need to be free and detached from things and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/you-need-to-belong-to-yourself-and-let-others-belong-to-themselves/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Peter Schjeldahl > [A word is a thought, of course. But any image, including a photograph, may become an instrument of sufficiently lucid cogitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/a-word-is-a-thought-of-course-but-any-image-including-a-photograph/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [Artists are people who are subject to irrational convictions of the sacred. 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And beauty is a regular experience of every person - every person who is not clinically depressed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/the-aesthetic-experience-has-to-be-given-and-beauty-is-a-regular/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [Everything I've learned about art was (a) because I was actually interested, or (b) I was actually interested in covering my ass because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/everything-i-ve-learned-about-art-was-a-because-i-was-actually/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [Matisse can make you hate your life for its comparatively insipid joys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/matisse-can-make-you-hate-your-life-for-its-comparatively-insipid-joys/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [Beauty makes us more like ourselves and more like each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/beauty-makes-us-more-like-ourselves-and-more-like-each-other/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [Everybody's got plants, but most are just growing weeds. 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