Posted by Marla Mallett on July 05, 1999 at 19:41:16:
In Reply to: Re: Through the Microscope posted by Harry Ulfan on July 05, 1999 at 18:02:51:
Little picky brush strokes or large slashes...fine yarns or coarse ones...These choices certainly do not determine either technical or aesthetic superiority. Instead, scale, and an effective relationship between the structural elements and design are some of the keys to such success. It's the old "Economy of Means" rule in operation.
The subject of this Salon is determining a rug's age, not aesthetics or the place that aesthetics should hold in our hierarchy of concerns. But in some strange ways we sometimes seem to confuse the two.....For example, it is truly a shame that anyone should fall out of love with his favorite chuval because dye tests come back "synthetic," telling him that the piece was not as early as he had hoped. Likewise, it is a shame when we encounter a beautiful piece and assume that it must be old...as if there were not capable, sensitive artisans working in different eras. Thus aesthetics can easily alter our judgements of age...while assessments of age can affect our aesthetic judgements.
Marla