History of the Iranian calligraphy:
The calligraphy is one of the popular and famous arts in Iran.
The importance of the art of calligraphy among Iranian arts is such that some arts seem to be imperfect, without decorative calligraphy. Iranians more than any other nation have used various calligraphy to enrich and beautify pottery, tile, metallic vessels and historic buildings.
Most of the handwritten books of Iran specially the collections of poems such as Shahnameh, Hafez, Golestan, Boostan and Khayam have been recognized as precious artistic works because of their delicate calligraphy.
These books possess extraordinary value and importance for the art experts all around the world. The art of calligraphy in Iran has a long history. The history of Iranian calligraphy includes the opposition of writing in Iran and its process of evolution from the ancient times till the Islamic period and from this period until the present time.
In archaeological searches of Silak and Marlik, dishes and cylindrical seals engraved with the very first Iranian writings have been discovered.
The Avestan alphabet was created in the 3rd century CE for writing the hymns of Zarathustra. Avestan is an extinct Indo-Iranian language related to Old Persian and Sanskrit. This script was related to the religious scripts of Zoroastrians’ holy book called “Avestaa”. After initiation of Islam in the 7th century, Persians adapted Arabic alphabet to Farsi language and developed contemporary Farsi alphabet.
Arabic alphabet has 28 characters and Iranians added another four letters in it to arrive at existing 32 Persian letters. The Kufic writing was the very first inscription used for decorating pottery, tile and metallic dishes after the reign of Islam in Iran.
In the Islamic period, Iranian artists put to work in various ways the Arabic alphabet to adorn mosques and holy constructions, wooden doors, pottery and metallic vessels.
The art of calligraphy flourished even more when the Quran, Shahnameh, and other books were written and reached the highest degree of perfection during the next centuries. During the Safavid era, virtuous Iranian calligraphers, invented all diverse forms of the Persian writing. Thousands of tablets, books and attractive handwritten pieces are available among the artistic works of calligraphy in Iran.
Iranians acquired great success in the art of binding books in various ways. The art of illumination has had a great role in decorating these leather covers. Some of the most valuable handwritten books of Iran, with leather bindings are being kept in the Metropolitan museum, the National Library of Paris, the Library of Munich and other private collections. The calligraphy in these books is mostly accomplished by the great Iranian masters of this art.
The Calligraphy has been considered among the artistic symbols, letters and elements, which form the word, always bear undeniable esthetic qualities. Iranian Calligraphic Styles, such as Taliq, Nastaliq, Naskh, Thulth, Reqa, Towqi, Shekasteh, Kufic and decorative scripts, stands proud as charming among those of every other nation; particularly so, when those are adorned with illumination, which bestows hundred-fold prominence to their sublime forms.
Indeed, Iranian calligraphy truly deserves such illuminations, and such a reverence; its masterpieces, when framed and set upon walls, bear all the attraction of great paintings, affecting even foreigners. Thus many of them are now lovingly collecting items of Persian Calligraphy.
The Iranian Kings and Princes have always been fond of penmanship; Soltan Oveis and Soltan Ahmad Jalayer, Ibrahim Mirza and Baisonqor Gourkani, Shah Tahmasb, Bahram Mirza and his brother, Ibrahim Mirza Safavi, Fath Ali Shah and Abbas Mirza, Mohammad Ali Mirza Dolatshah, as well as many personalities and ministers, and also a number of Qajar Princesses, have all been famous in calligraphers.
The Nas’taliq is the most popular contemporary style among classical Persian calligraphy scripts. Mir Ali Tabrizi has found the optimum composition of the letters and graphical rules so it has just been fine-tuned during the past seven centuries.
Nas’taliq is the most beautiful Persian Calligraphy style and also technically the most complicated. It has strict rules for graphical shape of the letters and for combination of the letters, words, and composition of the whole calligraphy piece as a whole. The second popular Persian calligraphy style is Shekasteh Nas’taliq.
It is really important to note that unlike its ancestors, the Nas’taliq style follows natural curves. In other words, unlike Arabic scripts that follow geometrical designs, Nas’taliq follows the natural curves. There are a lot of resemblances found between the curves used in Nas’taliq and natural curves and a few examples are shown here.
It is interesting that it may not be the preliminary intention of artist “Mir-Ali” or the others to write the letters in such a form that they look like natural curves; but rather later these similarities have been found. Therefore, it shows that it is reason of the initial spirit of Nas’taliq and its tendency toward nature that it looks so beautiful.
The Iranian calligraphy has followed a path similar to that of Iranian painting, and thanks to innovations achieved by creative minds of Iranian artists, various manners and schools of art have left such distinct influences, that in most cases, it seems quite safe to single out a work executed in conformity with Iranian Artist’s ideal of beauty.
In both calligraphy and artistry, acquired foreign elements were properly and entirely modified in accordance with Iranian taste, and combined with all the innate elements, traditions and memories of this nation. All this was achieved at once, but rather slowly, with discipline, from father to son and from hand to hand.
In calligraphy artwork, Iranian artist made truly immense contribution by innovating Nastaliq script and the latest step of evolution was taken when created Shekasteh Nastaliq.
Similarly in painting, at about the same time, when Nastaliq script was being born, artistic originality of Iranian painting achieved utmost brilliancy and in the same time of Shafia Heravi, while Shekasteh Nastaliq was reaching its ideal configuration, followers of the school of Reza Abbasi and Aqa Reza were busy perfecting sublime curves of their compositions.
Natural evolution of both arts continues until the early 20th century A.D. Aesthetic regulations were set, each complementing previous ones. Yet, in contemporary period, a totally different event takes place; Iranian painters and calligraphers suddenly free themselves from the natural course of progressive artistic evolution.
Iranian painters take to considering past artistic schools as national elements and according to their taste and need, start drawing upon them, in part or entirely.
This trend of turning back to the manners of ancient masters had also existed in the past, as Mirza Reza Kalhor exercised considerably following examples of Mir Emad, but more in order to learn about the intricacies, refinements, technical and artistic innovations of notorious styles than to revert to the past and to revive its esthetic principles.
Such is the case of many contemporary calligraphers, who exercise in the manner of Mirza Qolamreza Isfahani or Mir Hossein, writing Chalipa or Siah-mashq panels, or of others, who freely make use of calligraphy as a rhythm for composition, rather than an ascetic skill, creating works not unlike bridges thrown between painting and calligraphy.
© KHorshid Artworks Collection.