Fr. Patrick Briscoe, O.P., on What Christians Can Learn from Minimalists

"The German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), commonly called Mies, is widely regarded as a pioneer of modern architecture. The last director of the Staatliches Bauhaus, Mies designed buildings with minimal structural framework in order to evoke the freedom implied by unobstructed space. He was famous for using the aphorisms 'God is in the details' and 'less is more.'

"The latter saying, 'less is more,' inspired the title of a 2021 Netflix documentary, The Minimalists: Less is Now. The title conveys the urgency of the film. . . .

"With religious echoes, the documentary tells the story of the founders of a movement, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Childhood friends, Millburn and Nicodemus, the two men suffered in childhood in 'dysfunctional divorced families.'"

In a recent commentary, Father Patrick Briscoe, O.P., reflected on the minimalist philosophy and on how, although it in itself does not suffice, it is a "marvelous instrument for believers."

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Aleteia: Fr. Patrick Briscoe, OP: What Christians can learn from minimalists (10JUL 21)