Calligraphy
Calligraphy can be generally defined as the art of writing beautifully using Arabic letters. It can also be summarized as adding the spirit of the artist to the writing. People who practice calligraphy interpret the letters with their own imagination and talent. Once the calligrapher’s pen has written, it cannot be erased or corrected. For this reason, calligraphy never accepts mistakes and requires great patience, skill and creativity.
The word calligraphy means line, path. The work that emerges by transferring lines, that is, lines, to paper with great care and attention is called calligraphy, and the person who practices this art is called a calligrapher. The name of calligraphy in the Ottoman Empire was Hüsn-i Hat or Hüsn-ü Hat, while in the rest of the world, calligraphy is known as calligraphy. Although calligraphy is accepted as an art of writing, it is mainly aimed at decoration and aesthetics. Since it is a laborious art that requires great finesse, patience and skill, it is not very possible to use it to write long texts in practice.
It is thought that Islamic calligraphy, which the Turks showed widespread interest in, developed parallel to the changes in the Arabic alphabet between the 6th and 10th centuries. According to many people, calligraphy reached its peak with Islam. Basically, calligraphy is not just an art of writing beautifully. First, the calligrapher mentally symbols the letters he will put on paper; this is a very difficult, difficult and painful process. In calligraphy, which does not have very definite rules, each master has his own style. Just having manual skills and being able to write letters in an aesthetic way is definitely not considered sufficient to be a good calligrapher.
Although calligraphy works generally find their place in living and working areas for decorative purposes today, they are frequently encountered in architectural works such as caravanserais, mosques and baths from the Ottoman period. The fact that an architectural work is decorated with calligraphy is also an indication that that structure is a very important work.
There are different types of writing in calligraphy. The most widely used of these is the first type of writing, Kufic. Thuluth, Muhakkak, Nesih, Reyhani, Tevki and Rik’a can be counted among the other types of writing used in calligraphy.
Illumination Art
The Persian word tezhip means decoration with gold. It is an art that emerged to emphasize the high spiritual values of valuable documents and plates such as decrees, warrants and Quranic verses.
The history of the art of illumination dates back to the Uyghur Turks. The Herat School, which emerged in the works of Turkish-Iranian artists during the era of Bay Sungur, lasted until the second half of the 15th century and the beginning of the 17th century until the Ottoman period. During this period, many artists, especially Baba Nakkaş, produced the most beautiful examples of Turkish Illumination Art.
Illumination art was also used in the decoration of official documents during the Ottoman period, and thus, it experienced its brightest period with the Ottoman Palace behind it. It has become a tradition to decorate various works such as the first and last pages of the Quran, decrees, valuable handwritten books and warrants with the art of illumination.
The first educational institution in Turkey where the art of illumination was taught was opened in 1914 under the name Medresetü’l-Hattatîn. This school, which was opened to ensure the survival of traditional Turkish arts such as calligraphy, illumination, binding, marbling and ahar, continued to provide education until the alphabet revolution, first under the names of “Medresetü’l-Hattatîn”, then “Calligrapher School” and finally “Oriental Decorative Arts School”. In 1936, it was connected to the Fine Arts Academy founded by Osman Hamdi Bey.
Compass Sets
A wide variety of tools must be used for jobs that require drawing and measuring in the field of work. Students, architects, engineers and even many people involved in art use different tools when drawing and measuring. In order for such operations to be flawless and complete, the appropriate ones should be preferred from the tools needed. One of the materials required for both business and artistic work is compass sets. In order for the compass to be used effectively and efficiently and to fully meet expectations, it is a suitable choice to make a choice in line with the needs and demands.
There are different compass types and sets to meet different needs. The compass models used by middle school and high school students, the options used by architects or engineers, or the antique compass sets used by those engaged in calligraphy or illumination arts have very different features.
