Calligraphy - The Art of Inscribe Words

Islamic art is generally reckoned to cover all of the visual arts produced in the lands where Muslims were an important, if not the most important, segment of society. Islamic art differs, therefore, from such other terms as Buddhist or Christian art, for it refers not only to the arts produced by or for the religion of Islam but to the arts of all Islamic cultures. Islamic art was not necessarily created by or for Muslims, for some Islamic art was made by Christian, Jewish, or even Hindu artists working for Muslim patrons, and some Islamic art was created for non Muslim patrons.

Calligraphy is more than ‘beautiful handwriting’ or ‘ornate lettering techniques.Calligraphy is the art of forming beautiful symbols by hand and arranging them well.It’s a set of skills and techniques for positioning and inscribing words so they show integrity, harmony, some sort of ancestry, rhythm and creative fire.

Calligraphy, or the art of writing, was the visual art form prized above all others in traditional China. The genres of painting and calligraphy emerged simultaneously, sharing identical tools namely, brush and ink. Yet calligraphy was revered as a fine art long before painting; indeed, it was not until the Song dynasty, when painting became closely allied with calligraphy in aim, form, and technique, that painting shed its status as mere craft and joined the higher ranks of the fine arts The elevated status of calligraphy reflects the importance of the word in China. This was a culture devoted to the power of the word. From the beginning, emperors asserted their authority for posterity as well as for the present by engraving their own pronouncements on mountain sides and on stone steles erected at outdoor sites.

The Classic Mongolian script written from the top downwards and in clockwise turns and has a classic vertical direction which expresses the almost optimal movement of handwriting due to the theory of probability. The Chinggis Khaan’s stele (inscribed Monument) which was writing around 1224 is an ancient memento, a memory at the same time as well as a monument and a very rare subject of research and studies regarding the Mongolian Calligraphy.

The development of sophisticated calligraphy as an importance art form is not unique to Islamic culture. Other examples include Chinese and Japanese calligraphy and illuminated bibles from north-west Europe including the famous Book of Kells. In the Islamic world, however, calligraphy has been used to a much greater extent and in astonishingly varied and imaginative ways, which have taken the written word far beyond pen and paper into all art forms and materials. For these reasons, calligraphy may be counted as a uniquely original feature of Islamic art.

Ottoman Turkish calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art 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.The first of those to gain popularity was known as the Kufic script, which was angular, made of square and short horizontal strokes, long verticals, and bold, compact circles.

Saudi Arabian Calligraphy Art Font Styles

Arabic calligraphy art has flourished throughout history as an art form that adds value and beauty to literature. The development of sophisticated calligraphy art as an art form is not unique to Islamic culture. In the Islamic world, however, calligraphy has traditionally been held in high regard. The energy and value given to the copying and writings of the Qur’an elevated Arabic calligraphy art to the status of an art.

The Artists in Saudi Arabia are known for their intricate and detailed form of writing known as Arabic calligraphy. In the old town of Jeddah, also known as Al Balad, the traditional culture art form is getting a new twist by being blended with graffiti.                        

This expression can be orally, through written word, art, or music, or even in actions or gestures. It can be a combination of these artifacts, such as the case of Arabic or (used interchangeably) Islamic calligraphy art. Many definitions of Arabic calligraphy exist; in my opinion, it is best stated as "the art of beautiful or elegant handwriting as exhibited by the correct formation of characters, the ordering of the various parts, and harmony of proportions.

Diwani is a calligraphic variety of Arabic script, a cursive style developed during the reign of the early Ottoman Turks (16th century - early 17th century). It was invented by Housam Roumi and reached its height of popularity under Süleyman I the Magnificent (1520–1566). It was labeled the Diwani script because it was used in the Ottoman diwan and was one of the secrets of the sultan's palace. The rules of this script were not known to everyone, but confined to its masters and a few bright students. It was used in the writing of all royal decrees, endowments, and resolutions.

Nastalīq is one of the main script styles used in writing the Perso-Arabic script, and traditionally the predominant style in Persian calligraphy art.[1] It was developed in Iran in the 8th and 9th centuries. Although it is sometimes used to write Arabic language text[citation needed] (where it is known as Taliq[citation needed] and is mainly used for titles and headings), its use has always been more popular in the Persian, Turkic, and South Asian spheres of influence.

Thuluth (Persian: ثلث‎ solos, Turkish: Sülüs, from Arabic: ثلث‎ ṯuluṯ “one-third”) is a script variety of Islamic calligraphy art invented by the Persian Ibn Muqlah Shirazi[citation needed], which made its first appearance in the 11th century CE (fourth Hijri). The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique lines. In Thuluth, one-third of each letter slopes, from which the name (meaning “a third” in Arabic) comes.

Jellyka Saint-Andrew’s Queen is a free calligraphy art font that is, in my opinion, the most authentic looking free font I was able to find. It really appears to have been written by hand as you can see the lines becoming thicker and thinner throughout the penstrokes. 

Facts About Calligraphy Art

Calligraphy Art is the art of penmanship. Traditionally, calligraphy art is often used in conjunction with illumination / decoration of the manuscript or book. There are many types of traditional calligraphy Art and illumination: early Egyptian papyrus manuscripts of Renaissance pattern, oriental works created by brush, Islamic ornamentation and so on. To become a good calligrapher, you need many years of hard practice. To become a great calligrapher, you need many years of hard practice and a lot of natural talent. Unfortunately, with the development of computer assisted art of traditional calligraphers need / those who do not use a computer / dropped significantly.          

Chinese Calligraphy

With a history of four to five thousand years, the art of Chinese calligraphy art is rich and profound in content and has attracted the attention of artists the world over.

The Chinese Brush Calligraphy Art is one of the traditional four arts which was once an important critical standard for the Chinese literati in the imperial era and now prevails not only in China but also worldwide as a unique branch of art.

Chinese Calligraphy Art is so abstract and sublime that in Chinese culture it is universally regarded to be the most revealing power of a person. While one has conformed to the defined structure skill of inscribe characters or words, the expression can be displayed with great creativity by individuals.

To become an artist or expert in Chinese calligraphy, one has to practice word by word and stroke by stroke until the spirit of the practice gets into one's mind. Just as Chinese Qi Gong, the Chinese brush calligraphy can temper a person into a state in which one can apply subconsciousness got from the daily practice to control the concentration of ink and the compatibility of font and size of each piece or word.

In contrast to the Western calligraphy art, diffusing ink blots and dry brush strokes are viewed as a natural and free impromptu expression. All the varieties of the operation depend on the mental exercise that coordinates the mind and the body to perform the proper sense to choose the proper way in expressing the content of the passage.

Arbic Calligraphy

Arabic calligraphy Art differs from Western calligraphy in two separate and fundamental ways. It originated not as a utilitarian means of communication between man and man, but as a sacred means of communication from God to man. The Arabic script was scarcely evolved, and little used before the time of Muhammad; it was developed within a century into majestic form as a vehicle for the transmission of the Koran and thus became the heritage of all Islamic peoples.

The calligrapher and the beholder this factor gives this art its character and importance, and explains its function not only in the book, but as a dominant element in architectural decoration, and in almost all the other art forms metal, ceramic, glass, textile of the Islamic world.

Arabic script is differentiated from Latin by its composition. Both are alphabetic; but whereas Latin letters are always separate entities, in Arabic writing they are part of a unit. All letters, except those beginning a word, join on to the preceding letter, and also, with four exceptions, to the succeeding one.

The script therefore moves horizontally from right to left with breaks only at the ends of words or where these final letters occur. The number of letter-forms is also fewer certain forms are only differentiated by dots.