An Essay on Defamiliarization in the Iranian Calligraphy Tradition (A Case Study of the SiyahMashq of Mirza Gholamreza Esfahani)

Problem Definition:

 Problem statement: Among the tendencies of calligraphy, we can mention the Qajar Siyah Mashq of the type of works of Mirza Gholamreza Esfahani, in which formalistic visual effects are preferred in these works of literary reading. whereas, in different tendencies of traditional calligraphy, despite the differences in visual expression, letters and phrases have been introduced with the intention of reading the context. But in Mirza Gholamreza's, SiyahMashq sometimes the "conventional use of writing" is of secondary importance or is completely ignored. In this article, these works are considered as a symbol of unfamiliarity with the common practice of calligraphy. This article tries to deal with their formalistic and abstract aspects from a new perspective by analyzing some significant examples in the black works of Mirzaghlamreza and some of her contemporaries in the late Qajar period.

The purpose of this study is to study and re-read the formative tendencies in traditional calligraphy and especially the mentioned Siyah Mashq.

This research, which is presented qualitatively in a descriptive / analytical manner, based on field studies and library documented sources, has expressed its findings.

One of the findings of this article is that the of Nasta'liq Siyah Mashq in using calligraphic elements create a harmonious composition that differs from the usual and conventional criteria of the calligraphy tradition. In terms of application, the emphasis on written forms leads to the attractiveness and aesthetic approach of the calligraphy letter, regardless of its conventional function of text readability.