Posted by Wendel Swan on November 15, 1998 at 23:20:38:
In Reply to: Re: Khamseh drawing room posted by Yon Bard on November 15, 1998 at 20:58:35:
Yon,
I believe that a consensus can frequently be reached by collectors of relatively the same experience level as to the desirability of any particular rug. But it is extremely difficult to quantify or specify the factors.
The fact that it is difficult to enumerate and rank these factors doesn't mean that no aesthetic principals operate. To the contrary, most collectors and dealers come to learn and perpetuate conventions that, broadly speaking, govern our "tastes."
Making aesthetic judgments on the basis of mere images is problematic. We can speculate about our reactions at having the piece in hand, but there are always surprises.
Valid comments can be made about the drawing in an image, and that is what I tried to do with this Khamseh. In spite of the crowded field and compositional weakness, I do, in fact, find it appealing.
Wendel