ポスト・ミニマルアート，概念＝イメージ
平面の作家が、イリュージョンについて、どのように考えながらあるいは、物質についていかなる意識をもって、ミニマルアート以後、制作して来たのであろうか。 1960年代後半から、1970年代前半までの間、ミニマルアート及びコンセプチュアルアートはアメリカで、同時多発的に発生した芸術現象であって、まとまりを持った運動体ではなかった。
しかしながら、これらの芸術にみられる徹底したラディカリズムは以後、世界のアートシーンに大きな影響を与え続けている。
アメリカの美術評論家クレメント・グリンバーグも言うように、”絵画の固有の要素、つまり平面性を徹底して意識すること” さらに、「新しいラオコーンに向って」のなかで、“芸術に於ける純粋性とは、その芸術のメデューウム（媒体）の限界を受け入れること、これを喜んで受け入れることにある。” と述べるとき、創造のための純化が始まっていたのである。
ここにミニマルアート展開の一つの糸口が認められるのではないか。
絵画の固有の要素とは、平面性である。これを受け人れ、突きつめてゆく時、純化行為が生じ、不純な要素は除外されてしまったのである。すなわち、イリュージョン性，自然の再現性、精神性、想像性、物語性、神話性、象徴性、情念性、叙情性等さらには、欲求，感情そしてついには、イメージさえも不純の要素として芸術から取り去ったのである。
このような芸術の純化行為は、感覚的で、イメージ的な要素を切り捨て、見られるもの（作品）は物質に近づき、象徴的，イメージ的，多義的なものを奪うことによって世界との有桟的なつながりを断った。他方、我々見るものは精神となって、見られるものに想起されるイメージや意識をあてどなく投入すると言う現代美術特有の、物質と精神の関係を示す。
ミニマルアートの上述の純化のまなざしは、芸術を科学の価値観で見ようとする姿勢であろう。例えば、絵画という対象を、固定的に対象化して分析し、本質へと純化しようとする態度である。従って、芸術がイメージよりも概念を、想像よりも論理を強化してゆく方向へと進むのは当然であった。
ミニマルアートそしてコンセプチュアルアートは、概念化、論理化され、イメージや想像力を排除した結果、普遍性を勝ち取り、国際的に広がったのである。
普遍化の途をたどるとき、芸術のもつイメージは概念化し、抽象化して、イメージ＝概念となるであろう。そして、ミニマルアート、コンセプチュアルアートのように、さらにイメージを迫い出す方向に大きくくずれる時、概念的思考あるいは科学的思考があらわれイメージは解体してしまったのである。すなわち、イメージ＝概念から概念の優位へと芸術の思考のなかで把へなおされてきた。
その結果、芸術に科学的思考が入り込みすぎ、芸術を概念優位の方向へと導いたのである。
これらの芸術は、普遍的で厳密であるが、やがて、活力と魅力に乏しくなった。また世界との係りも極小化・部分化して、当初のラディカルな純化行為つまり、創造行為のもつ力を失ってしまったのである。
しかしながら、このような芸術は、我々現代社会のまなざしが、科学的思考偏重であることを正確に反映した芸術であった。この意味でも、正当な価値を持つ芸術と言える。
さて、芸術は再び活力を得て、蘇るであろうか。もし、可能であるとすれば、どうすべきであろうか。
我々は、概念化してしまった芸術に、再ぴイメージを結びつけることから回復を図るべきであると考える。科学的思考による方法は、芸術の純化を進めたが、それを極小化・部分化してきたため、世界との係りが希薄になった。
芸術は、まず第一に、世界と係るもので、人間の欲求や感情を客体化して、多様な生のリズムを整えるものでなければならない。 ミニマルアートやコンセプチュアルアートが純化の途上、切り捨ててきた様々な要素を、再ぴこのような視座のもとに復活させ、芸術のイメージ的全体性を回復させねばならない。また、この出発点になるのは、イメージと概念とをおのずと含んでいる、活力の源泉としての日常性であると考える。
このようにして我々は、概念優位の芸術の方向を、概念＝イメージの方向へとシフトさせるのである。
1980年代、ニューヨークで起ったニューペインティングは無意識の層における概念＝イメージへの芸術の方向転換の兆しを示すものであった。平面性、物質性との関係においてはミニマルアートの影響を踏襲し、イリュージョン，神話，物語，象徴や情念，すなわち欲求や感情の各要素を、それぞれ日常性（神話性、歴史性）の相のもとに復活させて、芸術のイメージ的全体性を回復させたのである。
つまり、ニューペインティングは、活力を失い、部分化してしまったミニマルアートやコンセプチュアルアートに対するアンチテーゼとして、我々と世界との係りをより直接化し、イメージ的全体性を回復して、生のリズムを整えようとする芸術であった。これらの傾向は、その後、各地域へと下降し、構造主義とも関連し合い、異なった文化の多様性を含みつつ展開している。芸術は概念＝イメージの方向へと全体的に向うであろう。
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（注1）「哲学の現在」P33
“「およそ呪術や神話のなかでは物事はイメージとしてとらえられている。例えば、雷は神鳴であり、天上の雷神の仕業と考えられている。」“と言う。
一般的に原始，古代社会の人々は、自分をとり巻く世界の物事における不可解なものに対して、不安と恐さを抱き、イメージとして、目に見える経験的な物事、具体的な物事に支えられて成り立っている。そして次に、「哲学（芸術）が普遍化の途をたどる時、イメージは半ば解体され概念と結びついてイメージ＝概念となるであろう。」
すなわち、イメージ,イメージ＝概念,概念へと哲学のダイナミズムは展開してきたが、科学的思考の影響を考えれば、芸術における場合もほぼ同様に考えられるのではないだろうか。従って、芸術の次なる展開を概念＝イメージに委ねるのである。
（注2）この論考は、哲学者中村雄二郎氏の著作に基づいてる。
今日の現代美術の動向を根源的に検討し、創造のための、ステップを得るには、哲学思考が不可欠であるが、私には、まなざしを借りる必要があったこと、また、「哲学の現在」「共通感覚論」は長い間、愛読書であるが、当初から中村氏のこれらの著作が、重要な視座を与えてくれるに違いないという直観があった。もしかすると、現代美術への転用は乱暴すぎるかもしれない。
しかし、芸術が科学のまなざしを借用し始めて以来、哲学世界の真実を普遍的に問う姿勢と重なる部分が当然あり得ると考えている。
ともあれ私の主たる関心は、如何にしてポストミニマルアートたり得るかということにあり、借用の意味と価値もそこにある。
POST MINIMAL ART, AND "CONCEPT=IMAGE"
Date:July 21,2001 Prepared by : KAZUO MISAKI
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For illusion, after developing the minimal art, how plane-painting artists have painted with what thinking or with what consciousness on matters.
As a matter of fact, during the age commencing from the latter half of 1960s to the first half of 1970s, the minimal art and conceptual art are art phenomena occurred simultaneously and substantially in U.S.A., but they are not a lot of moving bodies.
In this case, however, the full-fledged radicalism shown in the above arts are now exerting great influences upon the worldwide art scenes.
As Mr. CLEMENT GREENBURG a prominent U.S. art critic, says "Be thoroughly conscious of the peculiar elements of paintings, that is, be aware of plane-painting-oriented arts", as well as he says "[Towards the new Laocoon], the purity in the art means to accept the limit of the medium of art,and duly to accept it with a pleasure". In other words, purification for the creation is beginning, where a clue might be recognized for the development of the minimal art.
The peculiar element of paintings is featured by a plainness.
After accepting this plainness, and by tracing it thoroughly, the purification act would be originated and impure elements have been eliminated from the arts successfully.
In other words, the illusiveness, recursion of nature, mentality, imaginariness, narrative, mythology, symbolism, passionateness, lyriciam were represented by impure elements, as well as the desire, feeling, and even though image were also represented by impure elements, and then, they have been all removed from the arts.
According to the abovementioned purification act, the sensitive and imaginary elementa were eliminated, and then, the purification act is approaching to viewable matters (works of art).
Then, by taking away symbolic, imaginary and multivocal-matters, the organic connection with world has been thus disconnected.
On the other hand, what we see becomes a mentality.
In practice, this shows the relationship between the matter and mentality which is peculiar to contemporary arts where the image and consciousness remembered from the viewable works of art are thrown aimlessly into what we see.
A look towards the purification of the minimal art would be a posture in which arts are observable in the value judgment of science.
For example, this might be an attitude in which the object of a picture is objectively analyzed as a fixed idea, and then, the object would be purified substantially.
Accordingly, it was natural that arts advance towards the direction where conception is intensified than image, as well as theory is intensified than imagination.
Then the minimal art and conceptual art were conceptualized and theorized, as well as the image and imaginative power were excluded.
As a result, the minimal art and conceptual art have gained a victory with their universality, and thus, they have expanded internationally.
In the course of the universality, the image provided with the art was conceptualized and abstracted until it will become the "Image=Concept".
In this way, as shown in the minimal art and conceptual art, whenever they are largely collapsed in the direction where the image is sent out the conceptual thought or scientific thought appeared, and thus, the image has been dismantled.
In other worbs, from the abovemenetioned "Image=Concept" to the superiority of the "Concept" over others in the thinking of the art, the art has been reexamined.
In this way, too much scientific thought has entered into the art, and as a result, the art has been led to the "Concept" superior and rich direction.
These minimal art and conceptual art were featured by universality and strictness.
However, the vitality and charm of these arts soon have become poor.
In addition, the relationship of these arts with the world was minimized and parted, resulting in the missing of the original radical purification act, as well as the creative act itself has been lost.
In this case, however, these arts were arts which accurately reflect upon the looking of our presnt age society featured by the scientific thought deviation.
In this meaning, these arts can be said the arts which are provided with due values.
We wonder that the arts can be revived again after obtaining a vitality from them.
If it is possible, what shall we do.
We think that first by connecting the conceptualized arts again with the image, we should restore and revive the arts.
A method according to the scientific thought has accelerated the purification of arts.
However, the minimized and parted motions of these arts have diminished the close relationship with the world.
The arts are, first of all, must closely connected with the world, as well as must conform to miscellaneous live rhythms after objectivizing the human desire and feelings.
While the minimal art and conceptual art are in the course of a purification route, various impure elements which have been already cut down must be revived under the above view point of the arts, as well as the imaginative entireness of arts must be restored as a new painting.
Furthermors, its starting point exists in the daily necessity as a source of vitality that naturally includes the image and concept.
In this way, we would like to shift the concept priority art direction towards the "Concept=Image" direction.
In the 1980s, the "New Painting" art which had been generated in New York showed the tendency of a change of direction in the arts towards the "Concept=Image" direction popularized in the unconscious class.
In relationship with the plainness and materiality, the "New Painting" have followed the influence of the minimal art.
Then the illusions, mythology, narrations, symbols and passions, that is, the applicable elements of the desires and feelings have been revived under the phase of respective usualness (mythologization and historicalness) , and then, the imaginative entireness of arts have been restored as a new painting.
In other words, the "New Painting" art may be represented by an antithesis used against the vitality-lost and parted minimal art and conceptual art, and then, the "New Painting" art was useful to more directly connect us with the world and to restore the imaginative entireness of arts followed by the successful conformance to the miscellaneous live rhythms.
After that, these tendencies were expanded downward to each area in the world and now developing extensively containing the versatility of dissimilar cultures relating with the structuralism.
This means that the arts will advance in the "Concept=Image" direction as a whole.
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(NOTE1) "The Present Status of Philosophy" P33
It is said that everything containing in cursedness and in mythology is represented by "Images".
For example, people say "A thunder is a god thunderbolt and is the act of the heavenly thunder god".
In general, people lived in the primitive age or ancient age always had uneasiness and fear against incomprehensible and mysterious matters surrounding around their world.
As the "Image", those people are provided with visible and known from experienced matters, as well as supported by concrete matters.
Next, it is also said whenever "Philosophy (art)" traces the universality route, the "Image" will connect with a "Concept" which will be practically dismantled, and then, it will become the "Image=Concept".
In other words, the philosophical dynamism has been developed from the "Image", to the "Image=Concept" and further to the "Concept".
On this occasion, if the influence of the scientific thought is examined, in the case of the art, we wonder practically the same thought might be thinkable in the art.
Accordingly, the next development of the art may entrust to the "Concept=Image".
(NOTE2) This argument is based upon the literary written by Mr.YUJIRO NAKAMURA, a Philosopher.
In order to examine the trend of contemporary arts fundamentally in these days, as well as to obtain a step for creation, it is prerequisite to exercise the philosophical thought.
However, for me, I needed to borrow a look from the philosophical thought.
Furthermore, some of my favorable books reading for a long period of time were "The Present Status of Philosophy" and "Common Sensualism".
As a matter of fact, I had the sixth sense at that time; Mr.NAKAMURA's literary must give me essential view points.
Possibly, the use of another purpose towards the contemporary arts might be too much rough treatment.
In this case, however, since the art has commenced to borrow a scientific look, I think the duplicated part with the posture is duly existed where the truth of philosophical world is requested universality.
Anyway my principal concern is centered around how to create the post minimal art.
In other words, the meaning of borrowing the philosophical look and the values are existed there.
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