Maximalism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Marxist concept, see maximum programme.
In a general sense, maximalism means any doctrine or school of thought that extends its basic principles to the largest possible area. For example a "maximalist" vision of a nation state is one that encompasses all of the areas where the nationality is abundant, a "maximalist" program in science asserts the strongest possible form of its axioms.
On the other hand, the term Maximalism is used in literature, art, multimedia and graphical design, and music where it is on the very brink of becoming an ambigous, multi-purpose umbrella term like expressionism. Both terms have this in common that their flotation period extended or extends, respectively, over about a decade, and that both terms lend themselves to sharply contradictory uses.
Currently, the term maximalism is not very widely used, though it has become more prominent as of 2004. It may be thought to apply to post-minimalist movements or works which are thought to shear away from minimalism in a likewise manner as post-impressionist works were made distinct from impressionism.
Maximalism as a genre in the plastic arts is said to emphasise work-intensive practices and concentrates on the process of creation itself. Works from this genre are generally bright, sensual, and visually rich. Artists who do work described as maximalist tend to come from Asian countries, in particular China. This, however, is a slightly naive position which will no doubt be overridden by more complexe and more ironical definitions in future.
This is indicated, for instance, by the fact that the term Maximalism is used to describe the extensive way of writing post-modern novels, such as those by David Foster Wallace and Thomas Pynchon, where digression, reference, and elaboration of detail occupy a greater and greater fraction of the text. This sort of literature is also described as hysterical realism, a term coined by James Wood, who argues that it is a genre similar to magical realism.
[edit] Maximalism in music and the internet
Furthermore, the term Maximalism is used by some to describe composers such as John Luther Adams, who have "gone beyond" the origins of minimalist music. Serialist Charles Wuorinen self-identifies as a maximalist.
In early 2005, sound artist David Kirby released Maximalism, a sound collage consisting of approximately twenty-five thousand short audio clips, culled from 2,712 albums, and pieced together in a "somewhat coherent fashion." This piece would not have been possible even ten years ago, considering that the majority of the albums used in Maximalism were acquired via file-sharing. However, this monolithic work barely scratches the surface of the possibilities that the internet has now provided for maximalist art. With so much information readily available online, it only seems natural that artists and musicians will continue to exploit this information for maximalist artistic purposes, hopefully someday living up to the lofty title of maximalism. By this understanding, maximalism can be seen as an artistic movement that is only just beginning, and every work thus far can be seen as merely a glimpse into the true maximalist art that will surely come tomorrow.
