A review of sources and approaches in the typology of calligraphic movement works in contemporary art of the Middle East

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. candidate in the Art Research Department, University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor and Faculty Member in the Art Research Department, Iran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Calligraphy, as the most prominent art among Muslims, has been practiced by many calligraphers up to the contemporary era. This art, which has always followed established rules, had multiple functions in the Islamic world, from writing the Qur'an and manuscripts to contributing to other artistic forms. Prominent calligraphers such as Ibn Muqla, Ibn al-Bawwab, Yaqut al-Musta'simi, and many others gradually refined the art and passed it on to later generations. Over time, Islamic calligraphy evolved along a long and complex trajectory and became a symbol of Muslim creativity and cultural distinction. In the modern era, however, although traditional calligraphy is still practiced by many artists, it has lost many of its former functions. From the second half of the 20th century, within artistic movements known in Iran as Saqqakhaneh, Naghashi-Khat and Khat-Naghashi, and in Arab countries as Huruffiyya and Calligraphic School of Art, this art acquired new functions through its encounter with modern art. In these movements, which emerged almost simultaneously across the Middle East, artists such as Hossein Zindaroudi, Faramarz Pilaram, Madiha Umar, Rachid Kuraichi, and others employed calligraphy and letters to create new forms in modern painting. In this new approach, letters were deconstructed in modern paintings, new media replaced traditional ones, and new concepts were introduced, some had cultural identity and others had only literary aspects, but still the aesthetic qualities of calligraphy remained recognizable. Therefore, some scholars, including Hojjat Amani, named these new methods “calligraphic movement” or “Khoshnevisaneh”. Over time, the number of artists engaged in this trend grew, and the new calligraphy became one of the most significant artistic trends in Arab countries and Iran.
Purposes & Questions: In order to solve challenges that have emerged around the types and scope of contemporary calligraphy works in Iran and the Arab countries of the Middle East, it is necessary to carry out a study with the aim of understanding the evolution of contemporary calligraphic practices and to answer the research questions about how calligraphy can be recovered and interpreted within the context of contemporary art, how artists have used calligraphy as a foundation for creating new works; and what themes and concepts have informed their engagement with calligraphy.
Methods: This research is based on the descriptive-analytical method, and the method of collecting information is library-based, purposeful, and informed. The method of data analysis is as follows: First, the works of some prominent researchers from the Arab world, and from Iran in recent decades, whose works are most relevant to the research objectives, have been studied. In the Arab world Abdelkebir Khatibi, Mohammed Sijelmassi, Nada Shabout, Wijdan Ali, Venetia Porter, Rose Issa, and Charbel Dagher, and in Iran, Hamid Keshmirshekan have been examined. 
Findings & Results: The researchers studied the typology of works from different perspectives, and their opinions overlapped in some respects. Khatibi & Sijelmassi divided the works into four categories: geometric, abstract, decorative, and symbolic, and in their classification, there is no clear border between traditional and modern calligraphy. Wijdan Ali presented a multifaceted classification that includes both form and content. Dagher focused on the linguistic functions of letters and signs. And Porter described a group of works abstracts and classified other works according to content. Among the research works in the Persian language, no significant research was found in line with the typology of the works (with the exception of one example of a master's thesis: Torabi, Mohammad Mohsen, “Typology of Calligraphic Painting in Iran,” which is limited to Iranian artists' works). But Hamid Keshmirshekan, in his outstanding work, “An Introduction to Contemporary Iranian Art,” followed this trend in the history of contemporary Iranian art and identified various types of works in the New Calligraphy Movement. In this work, he has attributed three types of lettristic, Naqashi-Khat (some kind of neo-traditional approaches), and new letteristic approaches to Iranian calligraphy in the modern era.
The results of the approaches lead to the conclusion that the experts have so far classified calligraphic works using formalistic and content approaches. The content of the works covers a wide range of literary, political, social, and historical topics. Sometimes the works adopt an orientation toward tradition, and sometimes they move toward the future. Two distinct views can be found in the attitude of this art towards the future, modern art, and avant-garde art. The modern approach in this artistic refers to the use of new materials and themes alongside a formal analytic engagement with traditional calligraphy. Regarding avant-garde works, a fundamental and complete transformation is underway in the art of calligraphy, which requires more time and more research to make further comments about it.

Keywords

References

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Negareh Journal
Volume 20, Issue 76
January 2026
Pages 232-253

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  • Receive Date: 02 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 21 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 01 November 2025

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