This is interesting. President Obama comissioned Mohamed Zakariya to do a piece as a gift to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Here is the article: Calligrapher comissioned by Obama
I also came across this: Linearis Institute. The website is nice to explore.

S

I like the splattering of the paint and the way the letters look like they are being blown by the wind. I wonder if it is supposed to be an 'S' or if it is just shaped like that. It is from a web site called hijabman. You can buy here.

Promised Pictures

Here are some scanned photos from the recent Calligraphy Biennale here in Doha. I will post the photos and then try to write something up about a few of my favorite pieces and the artists. Enjoy.

Love this one. I imagine this tree swaying in the wind with music coming from the branches.

 

Pasta and tin foil. Interesting. I wonder if the artist seached through a bag of pasta to find his letters or if he molded them into the letters he wanted.

hmmm. A boat. It made me think of the boat that Odysseus used to sail to the underworld.

The artist who did the letter 'noon' is acutally from Doha. Apparentley he has been working on this letter for the past 8 years. His inspiration comes from the fact that you can work on only one letter for a decade and still you are only touching the surface of that letter.

I like the Turkish style of illumination because it always feels light and clean like Spring.

This is my favorite. I love the bright colors he uses.

Calligraphy Biennale

Doha recently had an Arabic Calligraphy Biennale. It ran for 1 month and closed April 22 so I just missed it. The exhibitions aim is to preserve the traditional scripts of Arabic calligraphy while innovating new fonts and integrating them with more contemporary forms of art like graphic design. Here is short article on the event: Doha Arabic Calligraphy Biennale

 I will try to get my hands on some pictures of the pieces and then post them.

Free Style

Arabic calligraphy has many different scripts. Each one has very specific rules as to how to form the letters.  The different scripts were developed to serve different purposes. For example the Kufic script was developed for writing on stone which is why the letter are more angular. One style that does not follow any rules is free style. Even though this script does not follow any rules I think it has just as much character and beauty as the traditional scripts. It is especially nice to watch the artists at work. I was a little bummed that I could not find any ladies doing this but here are two clips hope you like. 

Julien Breton

Free Style Arabic Calligrapher in the UK

Women Calligraphers

Women have been learning the art of Arabic calligraphy along side men since the emergence of Islam. They played a substantial role in the field. Learning the art of calligraphy served as a platform for women to engage in the fields of science, politics, literature, and education. Prophet Muhammad hired a woman named Al-Shifa bint Abdullah to teach his daughter Hafsah the art of writing. If you want to read more on the subject The Book In The Islamic World: The Written Word And Communication In The Middle East is available in full on google books (chapter 8 specifically about women). 

Calligraphy Resource

I have been doing some research and it has proven more difficult than I had thought to find useful resources for Arabic calligraphy. So when I came across Calligraphy Qalam I was very excited. Plus they have a nice photo gallery of modern Arabic calligraphy. My favorite is 1925 A.D. to Today. Check it out.

'Shodo Arabi'

Japanese calligraphy and Arabic calligraphy have some similarities. When you know one form of calligraphy it seems other forms will come to you somewhat naturally. Good article.