Abol Atighechi, renowned artist known for his exquisite work in a new and modern style in traditional and contemporary calligraphic painting in Iran, has now written a book describing his unique methods. It is considered to be the first comprehensive book on the subject.
Calligraphic painting has received attention in the last two decades, but there is no book yet on its fundamental techniques, which hinders artists who are interested in this style of calligraphy. Atighechi had been painting for 30 years and since he had focused his work on colors in the last 10 years, he had designated a section of the book for the role of color in calligraphy. “This is because as a painter, I work with colors a lot more compared to a calligrapher”, he said quoted by honaronline.
Atighechi, who has displayed his works in various domestic and international exhibitions, also explained about his artistic style, saying ‘’I put a lot of emphasis on incorporating different colors in my work. When you use only a single color, you can never attain the texture that you have in mind.”
In his book, he describes ways to use three different calligraphies in a single work. “In calligraphic painting, mostly Naskh* and Sols* are used, but I employ Naskh*, Sols* and Nastaligh* simultaneously,” he added.
Unique Style
The veteran artist is planning a review exhibition of his works. “Most of my works have been displayed abroad. But now I want to introduce them more in Iran,” he stated.
Abdol Atighechi, born in 1948, learned painting and miniature from Hossein Behzad, the legendary Iranian painter. Later he went to Britain and then to the United States to continue his studies in fine arts. He lived for many years in France before returning to Iran. He is known for not being a stickler of calligraphy rules and regulations.
The large one-piece dimension of his works (2x4m) made him create his own unique painting style. In his Qur’anic paintings, he uses mild pastille colors to bring more spirituality to his works; and by taking advantage of fluid delicate and circular lines, he aims to connect with his audience in a way that all the letters in his paintings have visual delight and grace in comparison to traditional calligraphic paintings.
(*Persian calligraphy style)
