Process art

Process art is an artistic movement where how something is made is just as important as the finished piece. Process artists care about the actions, steps, and ideas used to create a work. This includes gathering materials, sorting them, and starting new actions.

In process art, the way the art is made can be a piece of art itself. Artists see their work as a partnership between humans and natural materials. They are interested in how different forces change matter.

One artist, Robert Morris, described this style as “anti-form,” meaning the final object doesn’t need a specific shape. The focus is on the journey and experiences during creation, making the process important to the art.

History & Movement

Process art began in the mid-1960s in the United States and Europe. It was a reaction to Minimalist art. Instead of caring about the final piece, process artists focused on the act of creating. They were inspired by Jackson Pollock’s drip painting technique, where paint is thrown onto a surface using the whole body.

Process artists were also influenced by performance art and the Dada movement. In 1968, Robert Morris had a big show at the Guggenheim Museum that helped define process art. These artists often used unusual materials like wax, felt, and latex. These materials could change naturally over time. Process art is related to environmental art and the Arte Povera movement, which also use natural materials and processes.

Related Works

Some artists showed how the way they make art is important. For example, Eva Hesse hung rubber-covered cheesecloth from fiberglass poles. Robert Morris dropped pink felt on the floor to let gravity guide the piece.

Richard Serra used materials like rubber and steel to explore how they flow and shape. Lynda Benglis poured latex on the ground. Barry Le Va used many different items, like broken glass and a typewriter, in his collections of works. These artists focused on the actions they used to create their art.