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The History of Calligraphy
– Understanding your Hobby
The
beautiful art of writing to communicate is well
complimented by the art of beautiful writing –
calligraphy. The art is not new and has been
pursued either as a profession or a hobby for
centuries. In fact, the art of calligraphy has
always been revered as the unspoken
authentication.
There
are many different scripts that have been
recognized as segments of calligraphy like
Tibetan calligraphy, Islamic Calligraphy and
Persian calligraphy. These are just a few to
identify; but the art integrated from different
parts of the world has had a profound effect on
the practice. While Nepalese calligraphy has a
huge impact on Buddhism, Persian calligraphy has
influenced Zoroastrianism. The writing forms are
primary and derivative in nature.
In
many cultures around the world, the art enjoys a
central position. In Tibetan culture, the royals
were expected to be proficient in calligraphy.
The history of calligraphy dates back to the
first Roman alphabet. The curves, lines and
inclines of Phoenician and Etruscan alphabet
were first practiced and taught as carvings on
stones. The art was flaunted and can still be
seen on frescos and paintings of ancient ruins.
There
was a time during the Dark Ages, when the art of
calligraphy was concentrated to the monasteries.
This concentration resulted in the preservation
of the art through the fourth and fifth
centuries. The art survived the Dark Ages and
thrived during the Renaissance. The recognition
of European and Asian art post-renaissance
witnessed the integration of the art for the
writing of important texts prior to the printing
of the same.
It was after
the Dark Ages that the Roman Church came into
power that paved the way for many writing
styles, which we know all know as “fonts”. This
era brought in more of a formal change that was
mainly influenced by the architectural
structures that were seen during those times,
i.e., the Middle Ages to be more precise. These
styles came to be called Gothic until they were
replaced by printing machines, which almost
ended handwritten styles of prints. However,
times changed and writing was not just limited
to the prestige and learned scholars. When the
common folk took to these prints, they demanded
less complicated prints which in turn gave rise
to a variety of fonts that we witness even
today. All this basically boils down to one fact
and that is, calligraphy is art not only for the
experts to ace at, but anyone who takes an
interest in it, which means, it could even be
you. Calligraphy is truly a respected art form
although many use it strictly for designing
purposes. I mean lets admit it, even in some
cultures, people right the name of the same God
in different forms of calligraphy techniques
simply to express their prayers.
The
art was initially, on revival, mostly cursive
and not legitimate. In time, experts around the
world retraced the art and adapted the work to
fit into their cultures. This led to the
development of a new, standardized script. The
integrated writing form was studied and
furthered as unique to each region and slowly
taught in a manner that could be incorporated
for daily use.
While
the rediscovery of Carolingian texts laid the
base for the Antiqua script, the French
manuscripts encouraged the use of the Batarde
script. Calligraphy is a dedicated art form and
is accessible for learning and application via
different online and offline resources. Today,
there are many manufacturers dedicated to the
designing of calligraphy kits that enable
children and adults to begin learning the art
with the right tools at hand.
The
electronic media has made the wireless a
possibility in the endeavor. The art enjoys a
space within the contemporary typefaces like
word processing programs and software packages.
The principal tools offline, required to learn
the art include the flat or round nib pen, the
Reaves & Schulte 2006 or Child 1985 or Lamb 1956
brush and paper. The art can be practiced with
the regular pens available in the market too.
Even
though the result does not flaunt the angled
lines, the result is different, decorative and
praiseworthy. The water based ink and high
quality paper are also easily available, making
calligraphy an art that could be revived in
every household.
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