This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G. Phd, Mphil, Dclinpsychol) at the University of Edinburgh
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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. THE SPIRITUAL IN ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE CONTEMPORARY TURKISH CALLIGRAPHIC TRADITION Francesco Stermotich Cappellari Ph.D. University of Edinburgh 2017 DECLARATION This is to certify that the work contained within has been composed by me and is entirely my own work. No part of this thesis has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Signed: Francesco Stermotich-Cappellari ii ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to highlight the relevance of the spiritual dimension of Islamic calligraphy, focusing on the Turkish contemporary calligraphic tradition. Academic literature in the field has been dominated by the tendency to focus on the objects produced by artists, neglecting their personal experience and understanding of the art. Using a phenomenological perspective, I give voice to calligraphers I met in Istanbul and Konya, letting emerge their views on issues related to the relationship between art, religion and spirituality. I explore several themes that have arisen from the interviews I conducted with fifteen exponents of the contemporary tradition, organised as a journey from the most material aspects to the most abstract ones. The exploration of these themes starts with the symbolism hidden behind physical calligraphic tools, moving to the analysis of the symbolism of the point and the letters, elementary forms of the calligraphic creations. The bodily dimension has been taken into consideration, showing how the control of the body is an essential aspect of the calligraphic practice. The art can be conceived as a pathway requiring the development of several moral qualities and virtues, all necessary to improve both the artistic capabilities and the spiritual maturity of the practitioner, until the achievement of the authorisation to teach the art. Once a calligrapher reaches the license and the mastery of the art, they bear the responsibility of transmitting the art to others. Furthermore, they become agents of remembrance, portraying in the most beautiful manners the verses of the Quran in social religious spaces, as in mosques, or on calligraphic panels acquired by individual collectors or museums. Since their artwork focuses on representing religious materials, including the remembrance of the attributes of God and of Prophet Muhammad, their art is considered an act of worship. Finally, I investigate what the meaning of Divine Beauty is in Islamic calligraphy, presenting the perspectives of Turkish calligraphers and analysing the connections between the artistic form and the meaning of the contents of specific calligraphic works. In conclusion, I have not limited my analysis to the formal aspects of the art, rather I have highlighted the existential dimension of a complex iii practice which connects together several aspects of the human being, including the spiritual dimension. Thus, the traditional stream of Turkish contemporary calligraphy can be seen as a full manifestation of a culture, a lifestyle and a religion. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ....................................................................................................................... iii Table of Illustrations ................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... xi Note on the Transliteration of Arabic and Turkish .................................................... xii INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 1 Islamic Calligraphy and the Spiritual ....................................................................... 2 An Introduction to Islamic Calligraphy ............................................................... 3 The Spiritual in Islamic Calligraphy.................................................................... 8 Islamic Calligraphy in the Contemporary Era .................................................. 11 Methodology and Fieldwork .................................................................................. 13 The Philosophical Foundations of IPA .............................................................. 14 Fieldwork and Applied Methodology ................................................................. 17 Overview of the Thesis .......................................................................................... 19 1. THE OTTOMAN AND TURKISH CALLIGRAPHIC TRADITION ...................................... 22 1.1 Ottoman Calligraphy ........................................................................................ 24 1.2 Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries ....................................................... 30 1.3 The Contemporary Turkish Calligraphic Tradition ......................................... 37 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 53 2. SPIRITUAL MATTER: THE PEN, THE INK, AND THE PAPER ........................................ 56 2.1 The Pen ............................................................................................................ 63 2.2 The Ink ............................................................................................................. 75 2.3 The Paper ......................................................................................................... 84 v Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 94 3. SPIRITUAL FORMS: THE POINT, THE LETTERS AND THE WORDS .............................. 96 3.1 The Point .......................................................................................................... 97 3.2 The Letters ..................................................................................................... 101 3.3 Words into Art and Calligraphic Compositions ............................................. 109 3.3.1 Calligraphic Exercises ............................................................................ 110 3.3.2 Karalama ................................................................................................ 113 3.3.3 Calligraphic Compositions ..................................................................... 115 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 118 4. THE TERRESTRIAL AND CELESTIAL BODIES .......................................................... 120 4.1 The Terrestrial Body ...................................................................................... 121 4.1.1 Embodiment of the Divine Word ............................................................. 122 4.1.2 Struggle, Control, and Physical Empowerment ...................................... 125 4.1.3 Adab ........................................................................................................ 134 4.2 Health and Art ................................................................................................ 140 4.3 The Oneiric Body ........................................................................................... 145 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 153 5. THE PATH .............................................................................................................. 155 5.1 The Relationship with the Master .................................................................. 158 5.2 The Calligraphic Training and the Development of Virtues .......................... 166 5.2.1 Self-Cultivation in Relation to the Practice of the Art ............................ 167 5.2.2 The Relationship with other Human Beings............................................ 175 5.2.3 From the Self to the Universal Self: the Relationship with the Divine ... 178 5.3 The Ijāza as the End and the Beginning of the Path ...................................... 183 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 191 6. REMEMBRANCE AND WORSHIP ............................................................................. 194 vi 6.1 Remembering the Creator .............................................................................. 198 6.2 Remembering the Messenger ......................................................................... 203 6.3 Worship and Calligraphy