In his The Arts and Crafts of Turkestan Johannes Kalter looks at the arts of central Asia from this perspective, exploring the influences between these nomadic and settled populations in their art forms. And while the success which Dr. Kalter finds in this ambitious endeavor may be seen as only partial, it nonetheless makes a strong argument for understanding the relationship between nomads and the settled populations as "symbiosis" rather than the often emphasized antagonism between two groups.
The original version of this small but handsome volume is a translation from the German Aus Steppe und Oase which accompanied a travelling exhibition of central Asian artifacts in the collection of the Linden Museum in Stuttgart. It is a diverse collection of objects, mostly domestic articles including costumes, jewelry, textiles and carpets.
While many of the articles are old, even l9th century, the collection has essentially been formed since the early 1970s. Much of the collection was acquired from the trade, a sense of which is given in some of the attributions. An example of this is found in the caption accompanying some earrings: "...the pieces are supposed to have come from Bukhara and may have been owned by princes." Princes? Sound Familiar? As anyone familiar with the stories which come from the bazaars in Afghanistan knows, all this "bazaar talk" can best be appreciated for its color -- and not for its accuracy. Such stories need not nor should not become permanently attached to the objects by publishing them in a serious catalog of a museum collection.
Kalter has succeeded in putting together many various elements into this small volume. One of the fascinations is the documentary photographs of central Asia in the l9th Century. These photographs placed throughout the book are from the Museum fur Volkerkunde in Vienna. They are superb and add immensely to the appreciation of the subject.
For several reasons this book presents a challenge to the reader as well as to the reviewer. It is difficult to find an internal cohesiveness, an over-all approach, apparently due to its ambition in the extent of its coverage -- chapters range from such diverse subjects as an historical survey of Turkestan, a survey of textile techniques (embroidery), the technology of metal decoration, and "The Basic Design Principles of Turkestan Popular Art". The principal chapters, however, deal with costume and jewelry. They are all lavishly illustrated with color and black-and-white plates of the artifacts, with wonderful drawings of the motifs and patterns.
Of all the critical comments I could make of this catalog none is more worthy than the chapter focussing on the "design principles" of Turkestan art. It begins with the statement, "Turkestan popular art originated in an area with a very ancient Islamic tradition. Consequently this popular art is inter alia a legitimate child of Islamic art." How curious, one might think, since ancient usually refers to a time before the Islamic period, and then to compound the error with "very ancient" does cause one to ponder. Certainly many pre-Islamic motifs and elements of art exist in the framework of Turkestan art -- in much the same way that pre-Islamic rituals(particularly among women) have survived to the present. (see A. Stucki, Afghanistan Journal, 1978.)
If it were true that Islamic art is the basis for Turkestan popular art one would think that interpretation of the many motifs in this chapter would easily lend toward some Islamic interpretation. Instead, we get a profusion of cliches (eagles, trees-of-life, insects, solar wheel) to define these motifs. Further to the point, when one does have an easy Islamic interpretation, such as Ills. 157-159 and Ill. 160 which are clearly derived from arabesques in the Islamic tradition, no mention is made of this in the captions and only to one of these in the text. Another missed opportunity for this "Islamic interpretation" is the ewer (Ill. 183) referred to as samovar. At the end of the chapter, Dietrich Wegner is quoted in reference to the difficulty in interpreting symbols. If the writer of the chapter had only followed Wegner's advice!
Comparisons of The Arts and Crafts of Turkestan with Uzbek by Knorr et. al. are inevitable. They are the same size, cover much of the same material, and have illustrations and photographs with which some collectors will compare their own artifacts, often with either book in hand. But each has a lack of real information. Hopefully this interest will stimulate further research -- on the part of collectors, scholars, and curators.
In brief, Kalter's effort with this collection has not only shown a concern and a certain grace with these central Asian art forms but has put it in a theoretical framework as well. Perhaps his theoretical oeuvre is excessive. At any rate this is not unfortunate, as more understanding of the relationship between settled and nomadic populations is necessary if we are to shine light on these complex issues. The Europeans certainly seem more interested than Americans in creating museum collections of central Asian art.
Despite the many flaws in The Arts and Crafts of Turkestan it is a book which should and will be used for reference on this kind of material. The collection of these artifacts in the Linden Museum is undoubtedly an important one and we are indebted to Dr. Kalter for his efforts in bringing to a broader audience not only the artifacts but also his understanding of these nomadic and cultural traditions.
The author, Paul Ramsey (right) with Val Arbab and Taher Sabahi |  |
