Calligraphy again - sign painting as an art form

In previous posts I've talked about the exquisite calligraphy of my late friend, Muhammad Hamady. As well as that of Dr Sami Makarem and his father, the great master calligrapher Sheikh Nassib Makarem.

And when we think of calligraphy we often think of it as a form of fine art, something we might find on the walls of a museum.

But, in fact, in our modern, literate and advertising-saturated world we're surrounded by calligraphy. Wherever one looks on sees signs, words, phrases, logos and other forms of lettering.

Of course, a lot of this clutter doesn't merit the term calligraphy. But quite a bit more than we might realize probably does. We just don't see its true value because of the clutter that surrounds it on every side.

In the Arab world, calligraphy is considered one of the highest of the art forms, due to its relationship with the Quran and with the God who began the universe by creating a pen and commanding it to 'write!".

Over centuries, Arabic has developed a wide variety of scripts, some of which emphasize vertical forms, while others emphasize the horizontal. Some are quite static, others musical in their lyricism and sense of movement.

As you can probably tell, I love Arabic calligraphy.

Fine art calligraphy is a beautiful thing. But there are humbler forms that can also be wonderful in their simplicity and eloquence. Even something as simple as a sign over a shop. Today, as I was arriving back at my apartment, I happened to run into this guy, working on a sign just a couple of doors down. Fortunately, I had my cam with me. If you have 5 minutes or so to spare, here's a guy who shows how a good eye, a steady hand, and lots of experience can produce true art...on a metal door!

BTW, the final product will almost certainly require another color over the white background. (I'll find out tomorrow.)  The whole phrase (visible at the end of the clip)? mo'asasat al intishar al arabi. Something like: The Institution for the Spread of Arabic.

Oh, yeah...all the chirping and tweeting comes from the bird shop next door.