Dec 05 2011
Hi Everyone! Its Monday again, as is the case on Mondays – I would like to share with you a handful of our most recent acquisitions! Below you will some antique rugs ( and vintage rugs ) that I would like to share with everyone! Hope you like the new selection I picked!
Dec 01 2011
Folk Art
Folk art, by definition, pertains to any work of art that was created by someone who is not a skilled or learned artist. Unlike fine art which would have been created by a person who studied and would be considered in the main stream as an expert artist. An artist might be influenced by different social circles, creating works that he or she hope will be well received by the mayvins of the art community. They have also spent time learning their and crafting their skill by apprenticing or by simply going to school.
In contrast, Folk Art is created by an unskilled person and for the most part it was created with the intent to be used personally or to be given as a gift. Some of the great folk artists had a tremendous amount of raw talent and they used that talent to show what they themselves feel is beautiful without taking into account whether or not the piece has mass appeal. By doing this we (the outsiders) often get an intimate view of the artists world, life, views and emotions. For the most part, people don’t think of rugs when they are talking about the different types of folk art but some of the most collectible rugs in the world are just that – pure folk art!
Rugs From the Caucasus
Many of the antique tribal rugs fall into this category. One example of a folk art rugs would be the tribal rugs that originated in the Caucasus. Woven in peoples homes, by “unskilled” artisans, rugs like Shirvans & Kazaks are great examples. Their beauty is seen in the crudeness and primitiveness of the rugs they made.
Vintage Rya Rug
One other great example would be the earliest examples of Rya rugs from Scandinavia. These rugs were made predominately by women, at home, and then either used in the home or given as gifts. Untrained, these women created magnificent works that embody the essence of the modernist movement.
Antique American Hooked Rug
America also has a strong foot hold in the world of folk art rugs. What could be a better example than our very own American hooked rugs? Filled with innocence and simplistic designs, these rugs, transport us back to a time when things were much simpler and day to day life was so very different than today’s. While they had their share of hardships, one can’t help but feel and appreciate the simplicity of their daily life.
Vintage Moroccan Rug
The last group of rugs that I will talk about today is… Moroccan rugs. Recently we posted an article indicating how these little masterpiece pack as much of an artists punch as any of the great mid-century modern master artisans… you can read that article here: Move Aside Jackson Pollock. Moroccan rugs were so advanced for their time that it leaves many in the art community speechless – how could these simple people create such phenomenal works of art, how could they dream up these designs and colors while, for the most part, living a simple life in the secluded region of the Atlas mountains?
Regardless of the specific type of folk art antique rug you pick they all have an artistic significance that will echo through that halls of history. They bring the past back to life and show us the way things were in the most simple and humble way. There is no doubt that these magnificent works of art are just that – magnificent works of art!
Aug 07 2006
Written by Joan Guryan
Monday, 07 August 2006
The Origin of Washed and Painted Rugs and How They Can Be Identified.
How did chemically washed and painted rugs come into existence, and how can they be identified. The demand for Antique Persian Rugs began in the 1920s. As wealthy Americans began to travel to Europe, they were expose to and influenced by new interior design styles. With the increase in demand and the lack of supply, rug dealers began to wash newer rugs chemically and paint them to give achieve an aged look. While washing the rugs affects both the front and back; painting only affects the front. Therefore a rug that has been chemically washed and painted will be lighter on the backside than the front. This is the opposite of a rug that has been aged naturally. Because the back of a naturally aged rug has not seen daylight, it is usually darker than the front.
Jun 13 2006
My introduction to Antique Rugs.
Let me introduce myself. I am Joan Guryan, and I fell passionately in love with Antique Rugs twenty years ago, when I was decorating my first home. That was when I met Jason Nazmiyal, who sold me my first rug. We had a simpatico of taste; he articulated my thoughts as only an expert could. He nurtured my interest by sharing his knowledge. I began to look at rugs with a more educated eye. But more than the knowledge of where it was made, or how; why one area used one type of fiber, or used one type of knots, my fascination was in the design and the colors, the story it told.
The first rug I bought was a Caucasian, to be specific it was a Shirvan, and very unusual for it’s size. With its stick figures, both human and animal, and its other geometric shapes, I could imagine the story it was telling. Like art, we often are unaware of the artist’s thoughts, but we have made a connection, which somehow connects us to another human’s life; thus making the world a little smaller.
It is 20 years later, I have bought many rugs since, the first is still in my living room, and I have never tired of looking at it. I have continued to by my rugs as if they were pieces of art; which is probably why they are such a source of satisfaction.
