The end of calligraphy…one man finds inspiration
Milo Plurnbottom 4 months ago // Creative Endeavors Tips, tricks, and advice

In the modern age of rapid and easy conveyance of text in various media and thousands (maybe millions) of fonts it seems as though the art of calligraphy may be dying.

One artist and calligraphist, Denis Brown found inspiration in this sad fact and has endeavored on a fascinating project he terms Reductionist Calligraphy.

In my work, I have slowly come to accept that, in our time, calligraphy can no longer be seen as a functional pursuit. We have so many more efficient means to communicate text. This leaves me with a sense of sadness, as well as a great artistic freedom. I try to communicate the essence of this dualism in this unwritten calligraphy. I think the falling ink forms a calligraphy that appears to mourn its loss of function, yet simultaneously celebrates its freedom from function.

And these Reductionist Calligraphy pieces are stunning. In opposition to the traditional tight control and deliberate movements of calligraphy, Denis Brown drops ink into a tank of water and photographs the beautiful natural descent and dispersal pattern of the ink and prints them as new works of art.

To the naysayers out there Brown has this to say:

Of course, some will say that this is not calligraphy- the word derives from Greek kalli+graphos, meaning beautiful writing. My image is not written, (not by hand at least; but maybe by nature), but my suggestion is that meanings of words change from their etymological origins. The term calligraphy may have emerged from beautifully written words, but the practice has evolved to incorporate abstraction from the word as well as deeper interrogation of what defines ‘beautiful’ and whether this is always desirable.

(I should also say that this series of Reductionism will not stop me from writing beautiful letters whenever that seems appropriate).

See the full article about Denis Brown and his Reductionist Calligraphy .

While we may not need hand done calligraphy anymore, I think we’ll see it continue on as a niche artform, especially when you want that classy touch. The same phenomena happened with the letterpress (see this video of how one man took a passion and classic art form and turned into a niche business and fulfilling business )

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The image shown is entitled Inkfall.

Limited Edition Giclée, 80 prints only, each signed and numbered. From a photograph, archivally printed onto Bockingford watercolor paper.

Denis Brown, 2008, 33×48 cm, 13” x 19” .