What is Illumination Art and How is it Done?
The literal meaning of the word is to decorate with gold, tezhip art is one of the traditional Turkish decorative arts. It is the decoration of manuscripts such as books, plates and valuable documents using 18 and 22 carat crushed gold and various colors. The artist who makes the illumination is called “müzehhib” and the work decorated with tezhip is called “müzehheb”.
Illuminating all kinds of manuscripts, especially poetry books, presented to statesmen and famous people, especially sultans, is a practice that dates back to ancient times. However, tezhip art was mostly used on the first and last pages of the Quran and the beginnings of the suras. It can be said that tezhips have a spiritual value as well as their artistic value.
The art of illumination experienced its brightest period during the Ottoman period, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. The most favorite color option in Turkish tezhip art is dark blue tones.
How is it Done?
When it comes to illumination, the first and most important materials that come to mind are gold and paint. While in the past, earth paints dominated by pastel colors were used, today, ready-made paints are mostly used. Gold paint is prepared by crushing gold leaf in water and mixing it with gelatin. The motif or pattern intended to be applied is transferred to the paper on which the illumination will be applied by shaking it.
All free patterns are processed at once. After the completion of the painting and gold decoration process, the areas decorated with gold can be polished with a zer bur if desired.
What are the Materials of Illumination Art?
As in every traditional art branch, there are certain materials used in illumination art. Various paints, starch, pencil, alum, Arabic gum, china ink, utility knife and cardboard can be counted among the materials required in illumination art. Because illumination collectors generally prefer illumination works made of quality materials.
What is Calligraphy and How is it Done?
Calligraphy is, in short, making writing more aesthetic and beautiful by using Arabic letters. The aesthetic and beautiful writings created by calligraphy started in the Ottoman period and have survived to the present day.
Training in the art of calligraphy is in the form of a master-apprentice relationship. Many mosques, madrasahs, inns and various institutions were decorated with calligraphy and represented the period in question.
The development of calligraphy in other regions in the Ottoman Empire continued parallel to the development of Arabic letters. Calligraphy has also become increasingly widespread in countries where Arabic letters have developed.
How is Calligraphy Done?
Basically, how to do calligraphy is something that the calligrapher knows. In this type of art performed using Arabic letters, the calligrapher puts into writing what he visualizes or imagines in his mind.
The first thing a calligrapher needs to do before starting to perform calligraphy is to design the letters he will put on paper in his mind. Then, he performs his art by engraving the design in his mind on paper according to his own desire and taste. In order to perform calligraphy, you must have a good command of the types of writing as well as your imagination and have the necessary materials.
What are the calligraphy materials?
The calligraphy materials used in the application of calligraphy are primarily pen, ink and paper. In addition to these materials, writing aids such as pencil sharpeners, inkwells and mak are also required.
What is Ebru Art and How is it Done?
Ebru art is a traditional paper art that has survived from the Ottoman Empire to the present day, and is mainly performed using water and paint. Just like in calligraphy, the most important thing in Ebru art is the imagination of the person who does the ebru. In the old days, ebru art was mostly done to decorate book covers. Many artists made a living this way, but today ebru mostly continues as a hobby.
How is Ebru Done?
To make ebru, first, water concentrated with tragacanth is added to a vessel to obtain the desired consistency, then the liquid prepared in the vessel is filtered through a cheesecloth and cleaned. In the next stage, the earth colors are crushed and brought to a paste consistency, gall is added to this paint and this mixture is left to rest for fifteen (15) days.
After the waiting period, the paint is diluted and made ready to be applied. The paint is applied according to the artist’s imagination and then paper is laid on it to transfer the drawn shape to the paper. In this way, the marbling is completed.
What are the Materials of Marbling Art?
The materials used in traditional marbling art are as follows;
Paper with matte and absorbent properties,
Adhesive called tragacanth,
Paints
Aloe vera to ensure that the colors stick to the tragacanth and fix it.
“We”, the material used to shape the marbling.
Brush
