DESIGN IRREGULARITIES

DESIGN IRREGULARITIES

Sometimes designs are not perfectly symmetrical because the weaver did not execute the plan,cartoon,or diagram precisely.Often the imperfections is manifested when the center medallion is several inches closer to one border than the other.Or,one border may be three or four inches wider than the border on the opposite side.In either case,one or two inches can be forgiven,but three or more inches may be troubling.Normally,the smaller the rug,the less design disproportion is tolerable.Rarely,one or more weavers might change the entire design in the beginning,middle,or end of the carpet.The blemish is frequently quite serious,particularly when found in city or town rugs.

These imbalances should not be confused with the spontaneous creativity and squashed or elongated medallions characteristic of many great antique nomadic and village carpets.The changes are merely ways in which the weaver  expresses her individuality in the midst of the symmetry and repetitiveness of this traditional art form.The permutations are not flaws and add to the beauty and quaintness of the piece.

Symmetry has been significantly disrupted in many new natural dyed village rugs,and the resulting variations have evolved into a new art form under the aegis of certain Western producers.Weavers may be puzzled and confused as they craft pieces with so much disharmony,but asymmetry may be slowly becoming part of the cognitive map of the craftswomen in eastern Turkey and other parts of the Orient.These experimental weavings sometimes complement modern room decoration better than traditional symmetrical carpets.

Although design and color imbalance is fashionable in the West today,unbridled experimentation is sometimes excessive.There should be a certain degree of order,equilibrium,or calmness in rugs.Patterns and hues may be somewhat irregular,but the piece must not be a confused mass of disorder with beautiful,highly variegated,dyes.More asymmetry may be accepted in more unstructured carpets but there must be an overall harmony of design and color wherein sundry imbalances are manifested.People generally shy away from rugs that are too carelessly drawn and dyed.

Sometimes the designs may be symmetrical but the colors in one or two motifs are not balanced.This color asymmetry is a rare but significant imperfection that is probably more serious in formal city carpets than in informal tribal and village weavings.