The word calligraphy has its roots in the Greek „kallos“ („beautiful“) and „graphein“ („to write“). As the name suggests, it means the art of beautiful handwriting!
What do you need for calligraphy?
The high quality of the materials is crucial in order to give that magical effect to calligraphy. Therefore, it depends on the quality of the calligraphy paper, the drawing ink or the writing ink, the nib or the brush used.
Calligraphy paper in combination with high-quality ink and nib offers top conditions for the art of calligraphy. The surface texture allows the nib to glide easily over the paper and prevents the ink from running. In addition, there is a wide range of nib variants and writing instruments that you can use as you wish:
Quill; steel spring; bamboo feather; fountain pen; chisel; brush; brush pen; calligraphy pens etc.
Calligraphy back then:
All writing was passed down from generation to generation exclusively thanks to calligraphy. Calligraphy is a very long tradition that goes back centuries. The writing of the holy scriptures (Bible; Torah;Koran) was a highly respected profession, which only men were allowed to practice. They were artfully hand written and passed on to posterity. Calligraphy was the only permitted form of art in many countries for a long time. The objective was not legibility, but rather conveying messages and emotions. That is why calligraphy is marked by historical influences, thanks to which it is still today an expressive and beautiful form of art. By combining beautiful writing and emotions, the artist can reveal his intentions.
What use is calligraphy in modern society?
Is calligraphy still important and useful in the digital age? Isn´t it out of date?
Quite the opposite! A broad art scene has developed from the former handcraft used in the Holy Scriptures. Without calligraphy, even the screen writing we use on our devices would not be what it is today. For example, new fonts are constantly being designed based on the art of calligraphy. More and more people are doing calligraphy as a hobby and are giving away congratulation cards in calligraphy. Even on social media platforms, like Instagram, it is becoming more and more popular and thereby it is reaching a broad user community. Calligraphy is now accessible to anyone interested.
Traditional calligraphy:
Traditional calligraphy follows clear rules that determine, for example, how single letters must be shaped and aligned. The fonts are limited and are also subject to fixed rules. Everything is designed to look perfect. Aesthetics plays an important role. It represents the beautiful in art. However, there is not too much room for artistic freedom because there are also guidelines to be followed.
Modern calligraphy:
In modern calligraphy, on the other hand, there are no fixed rules. It is not only the aesthetics that is important here, but rather style and emotions. The modern calligraphy can sometimes get messy or chaotic. Artists have the freedom to express themselves.
Sources: https://www.gerstaecker.de/blog/ratgeber/faszination-kalligrafie-die-kunst-des-schönen-schreibens/
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