Simplicity and minimalism are two concepts that have historically been derided by mainstream art and culture. For centuries, human artists sought to create works of art that were progressively more elegant, more elaborate, and more bombastic than their predecessors. However, by the end of the Second World War, minimalist philosophies in art started becoming more mainstream in the western world. This growing acceptance of minimalism likely came about as a backlash to the excessive expansion of cultural and ethnic superiority espoused by fascist regimes in the war, perhaps most notably exemplified by the Nazi regime, which maintained a focus on grand and elaborate architecture and art as a way of showcasing the superiority of the Aryan race (notably, Adolf Hitler was an artist himself). However, minimalism was not restricted to the visual art form, such as paintings, sculptures, and so on, but also existed in some form in literature. Minimalism as a reaction to the utilization of literature in politics was perhaps most ardently championed by the author George Orwell, who actually wrote an essay entitled “Politics and the English Language”, which lambasted elaborate jargon and vocabulary in literature. Orwell believed in simplicity and straightforwardness in diction as a way to ensure that the common man would not be mislead by the syrupy and elegant vernacular of politicians, vernacular that many commoners were unlikely to understand. In his book 1984, Orwell’s diction is straightforward and refrains from indulging in complex diction and syntax. In that way, the philosophies of minimalism and simplicity are not limited to the confines of the visual medium, but are prominent within the literary sphere as well.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalism

https://ab3orwell.weebly.com/writing-style.html

https://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit