A Review On "Undicovered Minimalism"
Micheal Buddeberg wrote a review about “Undiscvoered Minimalism” Book on August 2011:
“Just as “The Undiscovered Kilim”, published in 1977 by David Black and Clive Loveless, thrust open a door into a barely known world of textiles, “Undiscovered Minimalism” also aims to open eyes to visual pleasures of a very special kind – and succeeds effortlessly. It’s hard to believe your eyes when you look at the 73 flatweaves from the Persian province of Mazandaran. This multiplied “Power of Simplicity” (W. Brüggemann, Der Orientteppich, Wiesbaden 2007) is compact art with a punch, a kind of aesthetic shock. Curiosity follows immediately. Where do these unusual textiles come from? Who made them? Why, when, and for what purpose?
Photo by Pouria Zoghi
One part of the story is soon told. Werner Weber, a carpet dealer from Zurich seeking relaxation with some friends, went to Mazandaran, a tropical region very untypical of Persia, situated between the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea and the snow-capped mountains of the Elbrus. All the experts knew that there was no question of Mazandaran being a provenance for collectable textiles. So much greater, therefore, was their surprise when in Hezar-jerib, a remote, poor and almost forgotten mountainous region in the east of Mazandaran, Weber discovered – tucked away in cupboards and chests – the textile heritage of these simple peasants, busy toiling in their fields and tending their cattle.
These kilims, mostly large-sized and made up of two to six lengths sewn together, probably date from the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. They are virtually unused and their functions, purpose, even the techniques used in their manufacture, are no longer familiar to the people of Hezar-Jerib. Thus more questions remain open than have been answered. The decision nonetheless by Werner Weber and the Persian artist, sculptor and textile expert Parviz Tanavoli to publish this book of kilims is a very fortunate one, as is its production, with design and technical support provided by the experienced team from Hali, led by Daniel Shaffer and Sebastian Ghandchi. The result is a book in maxi-format (37×29 cm) combined with perfectly apt sober typography, finely finished, and with top-quality illustrations, totally appropriate to the high artistic demands of this unique minimalist textile art.
Minimalism in oriental textiles
Minimalism in oriental textiles is nothing new. Werner Brüggemann, in his essay cited above, “Power of the Simple”, explained how, as modern art becomes increasingly accepted, and textile works of art are more widely appreciated – including carpets, kilims and the wider area of textile tribal art – an aesthetic of the simple is developing, as eyes have been opened to recognise the beauty of minimal structures thanks to the way of seeing promoted by abstract painting. Harry Koll documented this trend for the Anatolian kilim in his book “Farben meiner Träume” (Colours of my Dreams) published last spring (Aachen 2011) with particular reference to striped kilims from Central Anatolia.
And here, yet again, stripes determine the character of the Hezar-jerib kilims: stripes in an inconceivably rich diversity. First of all there are the kilims whose aesthetic effect – much like the traditional aprons of Tibetan women – derives from the manner in which the woven lengths are sewn together with their stripes offset. Depending on the number of colours, the breadth and sequence of the stripes, the kilims give the impression of brightly coloured playfulness or deliberately designed compositions, some with almost plain colour fields enlivened only by abrash, and given almost monumental impact by single, narrow stripes of colour. Powerful colour-contrasts alternate with areas in which shades differ only by slight nuances. There are some kilims where the design uses colour and form to focus on a centre, and others that appear to be a deliberate excerpt from cosmic infinity.
Double-Faced Kilims
A particular genre consists of double-faced kilims with two completely different sides. Here, either webs have simply been folded over and sewn together, or else woven using a highly complicated technique with a double warp so that one and the same kilim has two completely different faces with regard to both form and colour. These kilims, remarkable for their visible warp structure, achieve the highest perfection in weaving technique, and culminate in the pieces in which master weavers obviously attempted to imitate the expensive, precious ikats, although using a totally different technique from ikat weaving to obtain similar colour transitions and to produce amazing, perfect masterpieces of textile art. The smooth transition from one colour to another or from light to dark and back, the shimmering play of shades and shapes, always in perfect proportion, are abstract art in the best sense, and fraught with tension.
Two texts accompany Werner Weber’s foreword describing the circumstances surrounding his discovery of these fireworks of form and colour. Parviz Tanavoli, known for his books about Persian flatweaves in general, but also for the tacheh and siffreh, which are closely related to textile minimalism, gives us an overview with photos of Mazandaran, its geography, history and people. He describes the materials, structures and techniques of the kilims and their various underlying design principles, and concludes that nothing more can be discovered today about the age, purposes, and any likely religious or cult-related significance of this weaver’s art.
In a second essay, the art theoretician Heinz Meyer, also an aficionado of carpets and kilims, asks questions about the origin of these textiles which can easily stand comparison with masterpieces of modern abstract art by Rothko, Newman or Rheinhardt. Are they the result of spontaneous creativity or of a highly developed sensitivity to form? Is the highly effective positioning of regularly and irregularly coloured stripes a random effect or is it based on a deliberate aesthetic concept? And what about minimalism in modern abstract art and in oriental carpets anyway? Who influenced whom, and when and how?
Minimal Knowledge in Mazandaran Weavers
Certainly, any knowledge of modern minimal art on the part of the Mazandaran weavers can be ruled out, yet it is equally certain that it was not only African sculptures that stood at the cradle of modern art, but also oriental textiles. Even though precise answers to all of these questions are not possible, Heinz Meyer’s reflections on the possible identical and intercultural roots of geometric abstract folk art and modern minimal art are well worth reading. And the fact that almost every question remains open with regard to the kilims from Hezar-jerib, that there is no knowledge, no information and no sources concerning the significance, purpose and function of these kilims, turns out in the end to be helpful in seeing and admiring them, just like pictures, as free art.”
Source: www.wernerweber.com
