Posted by Marvin Amstey on January 24, 1999 at 15:42:35:
John, While doing my homework for this project of yours - highly imaginative and interesting, I might add - I was puzzled by the third criterion of sharpely contrasting elements. If this is to be a value criterion, then one quickly eliminates certain wonderful Chinese rugs with so-called ton-sur-ton color contrasts. That is, the color in the one or more design elements is so close to the ground color that it is difficult to discern. Yet, my aesthetic tells me these are wonderful, beautiful objects. Certainly the Chinese thought so. Does the Alexander criteria leave room for this aesthetic, or have a found a troublesome flaw in the argument? Marvin