Art that provokes argument is more to my taste than art that inspires
awe
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1825652,00.html
Visitors gaze at Persian carpets in silent reverence, but the Constable
sketches invite noisy debate
Simon Jenkins
Friday July 21, 2006
The Guardian
Is the Ardabil carpet the most beautiful object in London? Made in
Persia in 1540, and yesterday restored to public view at the V&A in
London, the carpet is formed of one astonishing pattern extending over
50 square metres, reputedly with 30 million hand-tied knots. Once
hidden muddily on a wall behind glass, it is now spread out on the
floor, glowing rose-red and rich.
The carpet is the centrepiece of the V&A's new Jameel gallery of
Islamic art, a shimmering white chamber of calm amid South Kensington's
raucous Goths, Italians and north Europeans. Its tiles, pottery, swords
and fabrics are from another, more serene, world. The carved crystal
goblets, the Qur'anic calligraphy, the ceramics and carved panels are
what appealed to the V&A's early patrons as they explored the no man's
land between art and design.
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