Minimalist sculpture: simple or deceptive?
Minimalist sculpture may look simple, but it hides radical choices and an almost obsessive focus on the essential.
Refined lines, silence in wood and iron.
Refined lines, silence in wood and iron.
“Less is more.” — Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Minimalist sculpture may seem, at first glance, simple. Clean lines, stripped forms, no unnecessary decoration. But is it really that straightforward?
👉 The illusion of simplicity
A casual glance might think: “Anyone could do this.” Yet the hard part is reaching the essential without falling into monotony. Cutting, reducing, refining… until only what truly matters remains.
👉 The dialogue between void and form
In sculpture, empty space isn’t absence — it’s part of the work. The void shapes the volume, creates tension, and suggests presences that are not there but can almost be felt.
👉 Why deceptive?
Because behind every “simple” line lies a set of radical choices: what stays and what disappears. Formal economy demands an almost obsessive attention.
👉 Want to see how minimalism takes shape?
Browse the In the gallery to discover the full collection.
And if you’d like to explore the pieces (still) available for purchase, visit the Minimal Abstract Figurativism page
👉 The café conclusion
Minimalism isn’t laziness. It’s risk, precision, and trust in letting the essential speak for itself.
5 things you should never say to an artist
Five seemingly innocent phrases that can make an artist want to throw the brush out the window.
“An artist is someone who sells what he no longer has.” — Picasso (with his trademark irony)
We all know that friend who thinks they’re being nice… but says the worst possible thing.
To avoid deadly stares and awkward silence, here are 5 gems you should never say to an artist:
“Can you actually make a living from this?”
(Thanks for the concern… now excuse me while I eat my canvas with acrylic sauce.)“But how long did it take you?”
(As if the value was in the stopwatch and not the creation. Spoiler: this isn’t Uber Eats.)“My kid could do that too.”
(Congrats to your kid. Maybe they’re a genius. Or maybe you just don’t get it.)“Can you give me a discount?”
(Sure, and you happily take half your paycheck, right?)“I could do that myself.”
(Then… why didn’t you?)
👉 The no-fluff takeaway
Respect the artist, enjoy the work — and if you can’t think of anything smart to say, just compliment the color.
Picasso: genius or master illusionist?
Picasso: undeniable genius or master illusionist? Between the revolutionary artist and the salesman of his own myth, the truth might be somewhere in between.
Pablo Picasso, 1950s. Photograph by André Villers.
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” — Pablo Picasso
Was Picasso a genius or simply a brilliant illusionist?
The question stings, because it shakes the pedestal we’ve placed him on.
On one side, the undeniable genius:
He reinvented himself through multiple styles, from the Blue Period to Cubism.
He broke conventions and opened the doors to what we now call contemporary art.
He created iconic works that even people who dislike art still recognize.
On the other, the master illusionist:
He knew how to provoke, shock and grab attention like few others.
He sold himself (and us) the idea that any line he drew was art.
He turned his persona into a spectacle — and that also has a price.
Gertrude Stein, who knew him in Paris, once said:
“He is Spanish, you know… and for a Spaniard, the world is a stage.”
And the critic Robert Hughes put it bluntly:
“Picasso was as much a salesman as a painter. But maybe that was the secret of his greatness.”
👉 What remains is this delicious ambiguity: Picasso was both artist and performer, painter and salesman, genius and illusionist. Maybe that’s what makes him eternal — you simply can’t put him in a single box.
And you? When you look at a Picasso, do you see genius, trickery, or both at once?
👉 The artsy moral of the tale
Picasso may have sold illusions, but maybe that’s his greatest talent: convincing us that art is more than paint on canvas — it’s also the story we choose to believe.
What is art, really?
What is art, really?
It’s not just galleries and white walls.
Sometimes it’s a doodle on a napkin, the silence between two notes… or simply paint-stained hands and hot coffee by your side.
Paint and coffee — the official fuels of creative madness.
“Art is what makes your heart beat faster. Or slower. But never indifferent.” — Anonymous
Art isn’t just museums and white walls.
Art can be the doodle on a napkin, the blurry photo that ends up having more soul than the “perfect” one, or even the silence between two guitar notes.
It’s personal, but also universal.
It’s serious, but it can also be brilliant nonsense.
It’s hard work, but also a stroke of luck.
👉 The trick? It doesn’t need a single definition. What it needs is space for you to breathe and feel.
👉 Bottom line, with paint still wet
Art is anything that makes you stop for a second and think: “Hold on… that moved me.”
Welcome to “Art’s For Everyone🎨
HMad — Visual Artist passionate about Art and Life.
“The eternal dialogue between artist and artwork.”
Hi there, I’m Hugo Madeira (but around here you can call me HMad). A Visual Artist (or, if you prefer, a Painter and Sculptor), Bon Vivant, and forever in love with Art.
But hold on — this blog isn’t just about me (that would be boring, and I don’t want you falling asleep halfway through). Here we’re going to talk about art the same way we’d talk about football, coffee, or even the weather: with humor, irony, and always a touch of sarcasm (but hey, educational sarcasm!).
Art is my life, but I truly believe it should be for everyone. That’s why you won’t find any dusty museum catalog talk here. Instead, you’ll find honest conversations: about painting, sculpture, art history, curiosities, tips, famous artists, forgotten artists, and even about those weird paintings that make you wonder: “Wait… is this really art?!” (yep, we’ll cover that too).
Picture this blog like a cozy café where you walk in, I tip my hat, make a welcoming gesture and say:
“— Take a seat, the conversation’s good, it’ll make you laugh, and you might even learn something new without realizing it.”
So stick around. This is just the beginning.
🎭 Art is for everyone.
🥂 The chat will be fun.
🎨 And who knows — you might just learn something along the way.
Welcome to my world — or better yet, our world: the world of art.
👉 If you’d like to know more about me and my artistic journey, check out the About Us page on the HMad Artworks website — that’s where I tell the full story, no shortcuts.
And if curiosity gets the best of you, take a look at my, Canvas, Sculptures, or In the Gallery pages — that’s where the practical side of this conversation lives: my Art.