This is largely a philosophical question; if you are so inclined, please thoughtfully engage some or all of the points.
I just finished reading an article I came across on FWW online (article #211 ). This article is entitled "The Right Way to Use Contrast" by Garrett Hack. It raised a couple of issues/questions that I hoped maybe the forum would provide some feedback on. Now, discussions on aesthetics can produce strong responses in some and I'm not interested in a debate so much as hearing some different opinions, but even more than the opinions I'm interested in the reasoning behind those opinions.
The first issue is one of general philosophy regarding the title, it is probably a minor issue but one that frustrates me, at times. I mean, who am I to argue with Garrett Hack, right?! But the title "The Right Way to Use Contrast" (emphasis added) seems a bit presumptuous and suggests an orthodoxy of design that I'm not entirely comfortable with when it comes to judging certain aesthetic values. That said, I have enough of a design background to understand that there are basic principles of aesthetics that are generally applicable in mostly all of the projects we do because there is something about the application of those principles that appeals to the large majority of human beings. Things like, symmetry, balance, ergonomics, golden ratio and basic color theory are areas that are well covered by both philosophers and scientific study. It is not my intention to argue with promoting an understanding of these basic things. After all, they work for a great majority of people a great majority of the time. But... sometimes when you get into specific examples, these principles seem to have some gray areas, which there is not always general agreement. The article went on to provide an example of contrasting that seemed to be a bit of that gray area. But, maybe it's not a gray area, I don't know. So, I wanted to put a specific example before the forum to see if there's a general consensus on it or not.
The second questions is a more specific one resulting from the first issue. In the article Mr. Hack almost immediately wandered into what seemed like a gray area (at least for me) that by using a specific example of poor contrasting that didn't seem as obvious (to me) as he thought it was. He used an example of an Arts & Crafts style blanket chest that had been done in a frame of Purpleheart with "golden-blond" maple paneling. Now, maybe the chest doesn't look as good in person as it does in the photo, but I thought it looked rather nice and thought that, while bold, it was a very attractive contrast. Mr. Hack, on the other hand labeled it as "shouting" and gaudy (again, I saw it as bold but not obnoxiously loud) . Coincidentlally, he also had an overlay of that same chest done with a quartersawn white oak frame and beech panels, which he praised as subtle but very effective. Again, I found the subtle piece pleasant but not especially interesting. In fact, depending on the environment you but it in, it would have risked being a bit boring and easily overlooked. Anyhow... again, everyone has their own preferences and sometimes I like subdued sometimes I like bold. Honestly, I love such a broad range of design that I'm unwilling to label one piece as a "better" or "right" choice, particularly because environmental context must be considered, as well. Therefore, when pairing the title of "The Right Way" with that specific example, it seemed a bit like Hack was pushing his own stylistic preferences rather than providing an objective analysis of theory. What really frustrated me, is that he offered no critical insight into what would have been a "better" option. Purpleheart has a fairly bold aesthetic to begin with, and therefore one that is more challenging to be subtle with (unless only using it for accent, and even then it usually draws attention to itself). So, although Mr. Hack clearly feels that the golden-blond maple panel is a poor match, he provides no suggestions as to suitable alternatives, it's simply bad because it's too loud, in his opinion.
So... the million dollar question(s)!
Specifically, what do you think would have been a more appropriate match for the Purpleheart? Of course, some of you wouldn't even use purpleheart for a frame to begin with, but for those who would... do you agree with Hack? Why or why not? Is there a way to make certain exotic woods subtle? As a designer/woodworker do you generally seek to tone down bold woods as a general principle? Why or why not?
Also... do you believe that an orthodoxy should be promoted, in the sense of using terms like "The Right Way" when refering to specific examples. How comfortable are you in declaring certain aesthetics as right or wrong. Why or why not?
Maybe I should have taken a poll instead on what people prefer regarding purple heart, but it seemed like every question I thought of polling provoked 2-3 more and I couldn't decide what to focus on. That, and I'm too lazy to figure out how to set up a whole poll.
Anyhow... have fun engaging this, if you are so inclined. Please, though, try and keep it more reasoned rather than impassioned. Even though it's a discussion of aesthetics (which, admittedly is primarily a sensory-driven, qualitative topic) I'm more interested in as rational a discussion as possible. And... no offense intended towards Mr. Hack. Obviously, he's a much more accomplished builder and designer than I am, at this point. He's certainly entitled to his opinions, I'm just wary of opinions when they start to sound like they contribute to a sort of arbitrary orthodoxy (and if you knew me well, that would be quite ironic to most of you considering I'm considered quite orthodox about somethings in my life).