Freer Gallery of Art in Washington DC will host an exhibition to showcase the best of Persian calligraphy.
It is the first exhibition of its kind to focus on nastaliq, a calligraphic script that developed in the 14th century in Iran and remains one of the most expressive forms of aesthetic refinement in Persian culture to this day.
The exhibition which opened on September 13 will run through March 22, 2015. It will focus mainly on the works of Mir Ali Tabrizi and Mir Emad, two renowned masters of nastaliq.
More than twenty works ranging in date from 1400 to 1600, the height of nastaliq development, tell the story of the script’s transformation from a simple conveyer of the written word to an artistic form of its own. Besides Mir Emad and Mir Ali Tabrizi, the narrative thread emphasizes the achievements of two other master calligraphers—Mir Ali Sultan Ali Mashhadi and Mir Ali Haravi,—whose manuscripts and individual folios are still appreciated not only for their content but also for their technical virtuosity and visual quality.
Simon Retting, the curator of the exhibition said regarding nastaliq: ‘’It’s so sinuous and fluid. The writing itself is melodic and looks like the language sounds.’’
