Calligraphy

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Calligraphy (from Greek καλλος kallos "beauty" + γραφος graphos "writing") is the art of beautiful writing. A style of calligraphy is described as a hand.

Calligraphy today ranges from functional inscriptions and hand lettering to fine art pieces where the expression of the handwritten mark frequently takes precedence over the legibility of the letters. In such work decoration may be shunned as an unnecessary appendage, and the quality of a work depends on the immediate artistic expression of the calligraphic line. This sensibility has been true of Asian calligraphy for hundreds of years and can also apply to recent western calligraphy in the hands of leading exponents.

Well-crafted calligraphy differers from typography; characters are fluid and spontaneous, improvised at the moment of writing. In the best examples the moving gestures of the hand are captured in a palpable pen and ink recording on the page. A full appreciation depends on feeling the rhythms and cadences of a piece of calligraphic writing.

Calligraphy is not a collection of slavishly-copied standardized hands. Letters may appear to march, to run, or even blow and flutter as if in in a breeze. Masters of the art typically have several styles all uniquely their own, that is, one hand is a virtuoso of many styles.

1 East Asian calligraphy
2 Islamic calligraphy
3 Hebrew calligraphy
4 Western calligraphy
5 Tools
6 See also
7 External links

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East Asian calligraphy

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Calligraphy is an art dating back to the earliest day of history, and widely practiced throughout China to this day. Although it uses Chinese words as its vehicle of expression, one does not have to know Chinese to appreciate its beauty. Calligraphy, in essence, is an abstract art.

East Asian calligraphy typically uses ink brushes to write Chinese characters (called Hanzi in Chinese, Kanji in Japanese, and Hanja in Korean). Calligraphy (in Chinese, Shufa 書法, in Japanese Shodō 書道, in Korean, Seoyae 書藝, all meaning "the way of writing") is considered an important art in East Asia and the most refined form of East Asian painting.

Calligraphy has influenced most major art styles in East Asia, including sumi-e, a style of Chinese and Japanese painting based entirely on calligraphy.

The main categories of Chinese-character calligraphy
English name	Hanzi(Pinyin)	Rōmaji
Seal script	篆書(Zhuànshū)	Tensho
Clerical script (Official script)	隸書 (隷書)(Lìshū)	Reisho
Regular Script (Block script)	楷書(Kǎishū)	Kaisho
Running script (Semi-cursive Script)	行書(Xíngshū)	Gyōsho
Grass script (Cursive script)	草書(Cǎoshū)	Sōsho

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Islamic calligraphy

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Islamic calligraphy is an aspect of Islamic art that has co-evolved alongside the religion of Islam and the Arabic language.

Arabic/Persian calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art (arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions in their work.

Instead of recalling something related to the reality of the spoken word, calligraphy for Muslims is a visible expression of the highest art of all, the art of the spiritual world. Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because it provides a link between the languages of the Muslims with the religion of Islam. The holy book of Islam, al-Qur'an, has played an important role in the development and evolution of the Arabic language, and by extension, calligraphy in the Arabic alphabet. Proverbs and complete passages from the Qur'an are still active sources for Islamic calligraphy.

"Muhaqqaq became an extremely popular script for copying Qur'an. Its shallow sub-linear curves and horizontally extended mid-line curvatures, combined with its compact word-structure, give it a leftward-sweeping impetus. Its varieties range from a somewhat rugged script to writing with delicate outlines and soft curves, and a bolder type with characteristics of both Thuluth and Naskh. The calligrapher of this composition is Mohammed Zakariya, a well-known modern exponent of the classical style, usually working in a manner which shows his interest in the Ottoman masters of the last century. Compositions of this type originated with Mustafa Raqim (1757-1826) and became popular in 19th century Turkey. However, the vividly colored roundels are based on 14th-century Iranian manuscript illuminations. The composition thus has diverse artistic and calligraphic antecedents. This piece shows the calligrapher's skill as a designer." From the following website: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00xcallig/modern/zakariya/zakariya.html

See also:

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Hebrew calligraphy

There was a strong parallel tradition to that of the Islamic, among Aramaic and Hebrew scholars, seen in such works as the Hebrew illuminated bibles of the 9th and 10th centuries.

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Western calligraphy

Western calligraphy is the calligraphy of the Latin writing system, and to a lesser degree the Greek and Cyrillic writing systems. Early alphabets had evolved by about 3000 BC. From the Greek alphabet evolved the Latin alphabet. Capital letters emerged first, followed by the invention of lower case letters in the Carolingian period.

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Long, heavy rolls of papyrus were replaced by the Romans with the first books, initially simply folded pages of parchment made from animal skins. Reed pens were replaced by quill pens.

Christianity gave a boost to the development of writing through the prolific copying of the Bible and other sacred texts. Uncial letters were used by monks in Ireland, Scotland, and other places on the Celtic fringes of Europe, hence the name "Insular style" for this type of writing. The 7th-9th Century in northern Europe was the heyday of the illuminated manuscript, exemplified by the Lindisfarne Gospels.

Charlemagne helped the spread of beautiful writing by bringing Alcuin, the Abbot of York, to his capital of Aachen. Alcuin undertook a major revision of all styles of script and all texts. He then developed a new "hand" named after his patron Charlemagne: "Carolingian minuscule style".

Blackletter (a.k.a. Gothic Script) followed in the 12th century, and Italy contributed Chancery and Italic scripts.

What followed was the heyday of the illuminated manuscript.

Hand-written and hand-decorated books became less common after the invention of printing by Johann Gutenberg in the 15th century. However, at the end of the 19th century, William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement rediscovered and popularised calligraphy. Many famous calligraphers were influenced by Morris, especially Edward Johnston, Eric Gill and others.

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There are many calligraphic typefaces such as Blackletter (including Fraktur), Lombardis, Uncial, Italic, and Roundhand.

Copperplate is name of a style of calligraphic writing, using a sharp pointed nib instead of the flat nib used in most calligraphic writing. The name comes from the sharp lines of the writing style resembling the etches of engraved copper. The Copperplate typeface attempts to emulate copper engraved letters.

Copperplate obtains its name from the copybooks of the 18th and 19th centures, which were created by the engraving of copper printing plates using a transferred ink original. Students worked strenuously to copy these works, although the final results could never be obtained, because the works were created originally from the chiselling of copper plates, rather than the usage of fountain or quill pens. Nonetheless, the repeated efforts by these students resulted in phenomenal qualities.

Calligraphy continues to be applied today in graphic design, logo design, and in special hand made presentations. Many calligraphers find their "bread and butter" work in the addressing of calligraphic envelopes and invitations for weddings and large parties. Digital type design facilitates the making of calligraphic fonts by calligraphers, and thousands are now in use, particularly by greeting card companies such as Hallmark and American Greetings. Some important calligraphers of the twentieth century are Arthur Baker and Hermann Zapf.

In the late twentieth century, many calligraphers broke free of the functional task of transcription and began to place more emphasis on expression than legibility. Written forms have become more abstract for these artists and are incorporated into works which have as much affinity to contemporary painting as to ancient manuscript writing. Notable calligraphers who have carried the art into the twenty-first century include Thomas Ingmire, Denis Brown, and Brody Neuenschwander.

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