Maximalism

The term maximalism is sometimes associated with postmodern novels, such as those by David Foster Wallace and Thomas Pynchon,[2] where digression, reference, and elaboration of detail occupy a great fraction of the text.

Novelist John Barth defines literary maximalism through the medieval Roman Catholic Church's opposition between "two...roads to grace": the via negativa of the monk's cell and the hermit's cave, and the via affirmativa of immersion in human affairs, of being in the world whether or not one is of it.

[8] Contemporary maximalist music is defined by composer David A. Jaffe as that which "embraces heterogeneity and allows for complex systems of juxtapositions and collisions, in which all outside influences are viewed as potential raw material".

[22] Charlotte Rivers describes how "maximalism celebrates richness and excess in graphic design", characterized by decoration, sensuality, luxury and fantasy, citing examples from the work of illustrator Kam Tang and artist Julie Verhoeven.

[24] In 1995 the "antipreneurial" one-man artist group Stiletto[25] presented LESS function IS MORE fun as a post-neoist special waste sale of interpassive design-defuncts[26] in a so-called Spätverkauf installation by Laura Kikauka at the Volksbühne Berlin, which she claimed as one of her projects of Maximalism.

Unlike minimalism, which emphasizes simplicity and restraint, maximalism invites a playful approach to dressing, often incorporating vintage pieces, statement accessories, and a mix of cultural influences.