Posted by James Allen on December 11, 1998 at 08:34:30:
In Reply to: My worst fear realized posted by Steve Price on December 11, 1998 at 05:34:45:
: Er, um, Jerry,
: In the opening posting I expressed the fear that these 20th century pieces would destroy the myth that I am a collector. Since you wonder whether someday in the future these things might become collectible, I guess my fear was well founded. :-)
: Steve
: The group "collectors" is mostly filled with people who have closets full of beanie babies. This proves that anything at all can be collected. This kind of value is called an extrinsic value but we gentlemen want to collect things with both extrinsic and intrinsic value. Anything made by hand has some intrinsic value, the energy of its creation is a benchmark. Simple energy modified by intelligence and skill becomes art, eventually. The question about tulus becoming collectible is a null point but wheather or not they will be considered art, that is a very good question. Unlike painting which can be and are judged against the common perception of reality, weavings are in general strictly abstract. There is usually no real world correlate to their subject matter. What seems to happen in weaving is that forms evolve along medium driven avenues for a long time playing with the interaction of flat and solid shapes. The unconscious determinants of taste come to act on what is selected and deemed of value until the forms become familiar and meaningful. At this point sensitive minds come to work on the higher organizational possibilites within the emerging syntax and the art becomes a language. This last critical distinction is what will seperate the high handwoven arts of tomorrow from the low arts of that same period. James Allen