A WORKSHOP SERIES ON ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY

DIRECTED BY ARTIST MOHAMED AMZIL

Autor: Hakim Safadi

As a part of its planned cultural activities for autumn 2015, the Czech-Moroccan Alliance for Friendship and Cooperation has invited one of the most famous and respected artist in the field of calligraphy Mr. Mohamed Amzil, to conduct a series of seminars and workshops in several Graphic Arts High Schools and Institutes in the cities of Prague and Vlašim, from October 3^rd to 7^th.

Born in 1964 in Casablanca (Morocco), Mr. Amzil has since a very young age shown a clear passion for graphic arts and calligraphy, which he decided to get a formal education in. He graduated in 1985 from the CasablancaSchool of Graphic Arts and in 1997 concluded his studies at the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA),  in Istanbul, Turkey, by obtaining the so-called "I'jaza" diplom, thanks to his mastering in a record time of two of the most complex styles in calligraphy: "Naskh" and "Tuluth".

Thanks to his studies in Graphics Arts and his artistic talent, Mohamed Amzil was able to break deeper into the magic of calligraphy in order to adapt it to the spirit of our times.

His passion for painting and calligraphy, as well as his unyielding will helped him to uncover the secrets of this ancient art and create his personal style. His efforts in this endeavour were crowned from 1993, when he obtained several gold medals and important awards in international competitions. 

The program of those two-hours workshops revolved mostly about presenting calligraphy as a form of art which, according to Mr. Amzil, is aquatic by essence. This comparison stems from the fact that water is often characterized by its strenght and energy, while at the same time being also light and fluid, which in return grants it great powers of adaptation to its environment.

After a short introduction to the art of Arabic calligraphy and its evolution into a form of universal art, Mr. Amzil recalled the influence it had on some artists of the Renaissance Era. He also cited some modern-era artists, like Pablo Picasso, who said that he often discovered after creating a work of art, that it incorporated elements discovered several century before by Arab calligraphs. Before presenting in details the characteristics of the different styles used in Arabic calligraphy, Mr. Amzil recalled the current situation of this art in Morocco. The art of calligraphy currently enjoys a status of prestige and is destined to a great future, mainly thanks to the support of His Majesty King Mohammed VI^th.

Mr. Amzil's presentation of the main calligraphic styles (Tuluth, Diwani Jali, Farsi, Kufi, Naskh, Modern style, etc.) has been very well received by all students, teachers and principals of the schools where the workshops took place, but also by the artists and art enthusiasts, present in the attendance. Thanks to the rich and complex features of those calligraphic styles, the attendees traveled to a fantasy world, full of intricate arabesques.

The seminars lead by Mr. Amzil have been extremely well received by the Art & Design Institute in Prague-Nusle, the Higher Professional School of Applied Art in Prague - Žižkov, as well as by Vlašim's Painters Club. Those institutions have expressed their will to foster and participate in similar cultural activities in the future.

Some pictures from the Workshop series are available in our "Gallery".