“Calligraphy is spiritual geometry, expressed by means of physical tools”.
El-Mustasimi
From 5 till 7 September Riga welcomed “The Days of Turkish Culture in Europe”
During “The Days of Turkish Culture in Europe” from 5 September till 1 October’2018in Riga Congress Hall the art exhibition of Turkish masters of calligraphy “The Art of Mevlevi” was held. The exhibition showcased the pieces of calligraphy by renowned Turkish masters – Seyit Ahmet Depeler, Fatih Özkafa, Nurullah Özdem, and inimitable Abdurrahman Depeler.
The displayed pieces of calligraphy were bits of the finest art, faultless and elegance of lines, magnificent ability of calligraphic pen and hand writing, and amazing colour schemes. Some of them feature the mix of artistic styles, where the used techniques (calligraphy, ebru, illumination, miniature) supplement and accentuate each other. It is worth to note that every artist masters a unique painting technique, transmitted through generations from a master to his disciples, who could keep their manner and style unchanged for centuries.
The visitors could enjoy all the beauty and elegancy of the art inherited from one of the most ancient cultures in the East, and employing Arabic handwriting as the fundamental imagery tool. In the Ottoman Empire only sultans and court nobilities were privileged to learn calligraphy. Calligraphy assumed great importance in the East, as there is a prohibition on images of any living thing. So artists convey their ideas to spectators by means of ornaments and calligraphy of different styles. For instance, the majority of showcased works was written with fonts Suls, Talik, Rayḥānī and Muhakkak. It is in the Ottoman Empire where calligraphy reached the zenith of its aesthetic power and gained the reputation of a noble, divine messenger of religious culture and art.
The framework of “The Days of Turkish Culture in Europe” included a master-class of calligraphy”, where Nurullah Özdem and Fatih Özkafa shared with their artististry and inspiration. The master-class was held in “AUSTRUMU KULTŪRAS CENTRS”, and everyone could take part in creation of a new masterpiece.
Calligraphy is the music for eyes of spectators, it became evident to anyone who came to see the exhibition.
We hope that such exhibitions will become a good tradition to be continued thereafter.
