CALLİGRAPHY:
The first thing that comes to mind whenever
calligraphy is mentioned is the decorative use of
Arabic letters.
This
art emerged after a long period between the 6th and
10th centuries as Arabic letters evolved.
After turning to Islam and adopting the Arabic
alphabet, the Turks failed to play any part in the art
of calligraphy for a long time. They first began to
show an interest in it after moving to Anatolia, and
the Ottoman period was one of the times during which
it flourished most. Yakut-ı Mustasımi was particularly
influential in Anatolia from the beginning of the 13th
century to the middle of the 15th. Şeyh Hamdullah
(1429-1520) made a number of changes to the rules
introduced by Yakut-ı Mustasımi, thus giving Arabic
letters are warmer, softer appearance. Şeyh Hamdullah
is regarded as the father of Turkish calligraphy, and
his style and influence predominated until the 17th
century. It was Hafız Osman (1642-1698) who produced
the art's most aesthetically mature period. All the
great calligraphers who came after basically followed
in Hafız Osman's footsteps.
As well as the six main styles of calligraphy,
the Turks also created a new style from the 'talik'
form discovered by the Persians. The early examples of
this 'talik' style were heavily influenced by Persia,
but in the 18th century mehmed Esad Yesari (died 1798)
and his son Yesari Mustafa İzzet (died 1849) gave it a
whole new appearance. Turkish calligraphy continued to
shine in the 19th and 20th centuries. With the
adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1928, however, it
ceased to be a popular art form, becoming merely a
traditional art taught in a certain number of schools.
As well as the six styles that emerged with
the birth of the art of calligraphy and the 'talik'
form from Persia, there are a large number of other
styles. One part of these never spread widely, and
another part was only employed in particular fields.
For example, the 'divani' style developed by the Turks
was only used for important documents written at the
imperial court, and the 'siyakat' form, which required
special training to be able to read and write, was
only used for financial records. The 'rik'a' style was
easily written, and thus became widely used in daily
life, becoming an art style in the 19th century. The 'rik'a'
style must not be confused with the 'rika' form, one
of the six main forms of calligraphy.
In calligraphy, different names were given to
written texts according to their size. Signs hung on
walls, on the domes and braces of religious buildings
such as mosques and tombs, and all texts used on
inscriptions and intended to be read from afar were
known as 'celi.' The 'sülüs' and 'talik' forms were
generally preferred for 'celi' work. Texts written in
much smaller letters than usual were called 'hurde,'
and those on a scale that was difficult to make out
were called 'gubari.'
The pen was the basic tool used in calligraphy, and
particularly the reed pen. The end of the reed was
held at an angle over a hard pad known as a 'makta'
and sharpened according to the text to be written with
a special knife. 'Celi' texts were written with thick
pens made of wood, and metal nibs were employed for
very fine letters. The ink used in calligraphy was
also specially prepared. It was produced by mixing
oiled soot with a number of other substances, and
allowed the pen to flow easily. It could also be
erased easily in the event of a mistake. Special paper
was also used. The paper was made transparent with a
special substance in order that it should absorb the
ink and to allow the pen to move easily over it.
An exponent of the art of calligraphy is known
as a 'hatta,' or 'fine-writing artist.' For centuries
such artists were trained in a master-apprentice
relationship, and anyone wishing to learn the art of
calligraphy would learn from a master. Initially these
lessons, known as 'meşk' and intended to introduce the
student to the art, began with learning to write
individual letters. This was then followed by joining
letters together and writing words and sentences. At
the end of some three to five years of training, the
apprentice would take a kind of written exam before
two or three masters. If the masters approved the text
written by the apprentice they would sign their names
to it. This was then known as an 'icazetname' or
licence to practice. Nobody who lacked such a document
could be considered a calligrapher and could not
therefore sign his name to any text produced by him.