Calligraphy History And Origins

The history of calligraphy is as long as man has been putting ideas down in one form or another onto a surface. Written language originated as pictorial drawings and glyphs used around the world by various cultures. The Egyptians raised this to a detailed art with their hieroglyphic form of writing. The written alphabet was created by the Phoenicians, and later adopted by the Greeks and Etruscans. Alphabets continued to be passed from one culture to another. By the first century, the Romans were carving letters into stone, painting them on walls, and had developed a cursive form for daily use. Written language continued to flourish until the fall of Rome.

Calligraphy, literally translated, means "beautiful writing". During the Dark Ages, monks laboriously copied texts to reproduce and preserve literature, religious texts, and other manuscripts. Their work was carefully proofread by Elders and they were provided with distraction-free working environments to minimize mistakes. Calligraphy was used to create a uniform look to the manuscripts. Works from this period are well-known for their ornately illuminated calligraphy.

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century, while making book production easier, did not put a stop to the use of calligraphy. Carefully handwritten script was used for invitations, letters, and formal correspondence.

When copperplate engraving was invented in the 17th century, calligraphy went into a decline. By the 19th century, new forms of pens made the art of calligraphy almost impossible, as the rounded tips were not the right shape to draw the fine turns and curves required by calligraphic rules. William Morris, the British poet, re-introduced the flat-edged pen and brought back the art of calligraphy, founding a society in England in 1922 that promoted fine penmanship and calligraphic skills.

With the advent of the computer and the ease of use of graphic programs, it is easier than ever to print script. Calligraphy continues to flourish, however, with more societies devoted to the art than ever before. Today's calligraphic artist tries to convey the beauty of the words through the art of the lettering.

Calligraphy writing also enjoys a long history in Asia and the Middle East. Arabic and Asian calligraphy forms have long been appreciated as works of art and beauty. Calligraphic artists in the Asian and Arabic schools believe that the beauty of the word comes through the drawing of the character, and both forms have strict rules outlining how each character should be drawn that have been developed over thousands of years.

Sean McDowell writes extensively about all types of calligraphy products and runs a website about calligraphy pen sets. For more information visit http://www.calligraphypensets.com/ 

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