Mistakes in Art

In high school, my art teacher always told me, “There are no mistakes in art.” Usually she said this as I crumpled up whatever atrocious art piece I was working on. The reading in Chapter 3: The Power of Images made me think that maybe my art teacher wasn’t as crazy as I thought, maybe she was right. Maidi Hilmo showed many instances where the miniatures in the Pearl may at first seem like artistic errors, but may really be intentional additions.

It was really interesting how Hilmo explored all of the seeming “mistakes” in the images of the Pearl manuscript and suggested the possible meaning behind the inconsistencies and cover-ups. I especially found her explanation of the change in style of the dreamer’s sleeves very interesting. When I first looked at these images, I just assumed that they were done my an amateur artist. However, after reading Hilmo’s explanation that the change in dress reflects the altering state of the dreamer, I gained an appreciation for the miniatures.

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