the ancient pre-alphabet system of pictographs, in which a picture stands for an idea, writing is one way—among others—of making pictures. Within this perspective all personal writing has calligraphic potential, and may be a
conscious, aesthetic ambition. But, ‘all personal writing’ does not become calligraphy out of a personal desire. Calligraphy also is a question of power, political power. The holders of political power need calligraphy for efficient readability, to carry out their actions and directives. In this connection between aesthetics and politics, the State selects a type of calligraphy that seems more efficient to bear the political charge of the image they expect others—the people—to receive. With universal education, it is the State that decides the type of calligraphy to be applied in the national educational system.
2. Links between calligraphy and writing. I think the links between calligraphy and writing are both simple and complex. Calligraphy, as a graphic practice, can be independent from writing, although its historical evolution is related to the function of beautiful writing. Basically, a calligrapher invents a specific graphic coherence to produce and communicate a visual meaning—an image – while a writer uses an already existing graphic system to produce and communicate a literary meaning—a text. If the writer’s intention is only to produce a readable text, then he is not concerned with image making, even if his beautiful marks suggest an image. On the other hand, the calligrapher may produce a text while inventing his graphic image could be indifferent to its literary meaning. I have two examples. The great calligrapher Ibn Moqla (886–939) wrote the text for a peace convention
between Muslim and Byzantine states. The Byzantine courtiers so admired his elegant graphic work that they regularly exhibited Ibn Moqla’s text as a work of fine art to a Byzantine audience who were not literate in Arabic writing. Never the less, they appreciated viewing the calligraphic image in the Arabic document. In 1994, the French couturier Karl Lagerfeld designed a collection of ‘robes
de soirée’ (evening dresses) for the fashion house Chanel. Some of the gowns were embroidered with Arabic calligraphy. The designer could ‘read’ the fine visual image in the calligraphy but did not understand Arabic writing which it transpired were verses from the Koran. The American magazine Newsweek (31.01.94) reported that Lagerfield had to destroy the whole collection with Arabic calligraphy after he was threatened by Muslim fundamentalists from Indonesia. In this particular situation, it is important to note that the Asian Muslims usually read Koranic texts in their own language while the Arabic text appears in a double line, as a visual illustration. I think that both the French designer and his Indonesian Islamists dealt with the Arabic writing as a visual representation of Allah. If calligraphy could be independent from handwriting, handwriting may
suggest calligraphy to the ‘gazer’ or ‘ le regardeur’ as Marcel Duchamp would put it —although not the writer’s intention. This is where graphology extends the definition of calligraphy to include all types of handwriting as images: writing is an image of the writer’s personality, even if the writer is indifferent to image making. The grapho-logic approach posits all personal handwriting has the possibility to be unique calligraphy. Thus, the official calligraphic writing becomes one possible way, among others, of organizing the writing marks.
148 | ARTISTS AND ART EDUCATION IN AFRICA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16