Manifesto of Reductionism

The Manifesto of Reductionism was launched at the Frankfurt International Book Fair in 1988 and has since been translated and published in French, German, Norwegian, Italian, Portuguese, Estonian, Lithuanian and Russian.

Members of the Grass Valley Graphics Group adhere to a common artistic philosophy known as the School of Reductionism.

Excerpts from the Manifesto:

BEFORE THE ARTIST
THERE IS THE ART

BEFORE THE ICON
THERE IS THE GESTURE

BEFORE THE GESTURE
THERE IS THE VISION

Man on the Cross III

REDUCTIONISM
ASPIRES TOWARD A
VISION OF
ANOTHER REALITY

REDUCTIONISM
REDEFINES THE
RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ARTIST
AND ARTIFACT

REDUCTIONISM
EXPLORES NEW
FORMS OF
PERCEPTION WHICH
FORCE THE VIEWER TO
CONFRONT NEW
MODES OF
PERCEPTION WHICH
ARE USUALLY
UNCONFRONTABLE

Man on the Cross I

Man on the Cross II

EACH GENERATION HAS ITS OWN
PERCEPTUAL LIMITATIONS

THE JUXTAPOSITION
BETWEEN THE FAMILIAR AND
THE UNKNOWN PRODUCES A
DISCOMFORTING EFFECT
WHICH MANY VIEWERS SHY
AWAY FROM, WHILE OTHERS
WILL SEEK THE NOVELTY OF
THE EXPERIENCE

ALL PERCEPTUAL CHALLENGES ARE
A THREAT TO PERSONAL INERTIA

IMPOSITIONS UPON THESE
LIMITATIONS HAVE THE EFFECT
OF SHATTERING THE EGO'S
EQUILIBRIUM AND FORCING IT
TO SEEK A NEW BALANCE

REDUCTIONISM IS
TIMELESS

FORCING THE
EXPERIENCE OF
UNCONFRONTABLE
PERCEPTIONS IS A WAY
OF ACTING ON THE
AWARENESS AND
PERCEPTUAL
APPARATUS OF THE
VIEWER AND FORCING
ITS EXPANSION
THROUGH EXPOSURE
AND REPETITION