Writing is an act that makes us immortal an old master of calligraphy said. They teach us to write from an early age, but rarely when we grow up do we dwell on this act. An act full of art through which people express themselves.
A revolutionary act from which our civilization was born. The art of Western calligraphy originated from Greek and Roman scribes. But did you know that one of the most famous calligraphic styles in the world was born in Italy?
It is called Italico, taken from a chancery style born during the Renaissance to give the western world an italic character from which all the others are derived today.
The Italian language derives from notarial deeds. And the littera antiqua, which originated in Florence, derives from the minuscule carolina.
Italic became the symbol of good taste and Italian culture, so much so that Michelangelo Buonarroti wrote sonnets in beautiful Italic.
An iconic writing that is taught thanks to its simple and fast stroke, practical for daily use and easy to reproduce both with a quill pen and with the nib with a truncated point as well as with a simple fountain pen, rollerball or even ballpoint.
The rhythm, the alternation of thick and thin strokes, this elegance in seeing one’s handwriting improved led us to imagine this 8-hour workshop.
What will we do in these 8 hours?
We will immerse ourselves together in the forms of Florentine humanistic writing that was born around 1400, the starting point of all Renaissance thought, to get to touch the Italian style.
We will use the truncated point pen and learn to control it.
We will focus on all the fundamental aspects to start doing calligraphy: posture, breathing, hand and shoulder movement.
We will learn to closely observe the secrets of beautiful writing: proportions, rhythm, ductus, chiaroscuro.
By analyzing some manuscripts preserved in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, we will rediscover and draw the ancient forms of our lowercase alphabet.
All this and not only because writing is good for the body and mind. Writing leads us to considerable psycho-physical benefits. As Plato said “Calligraphy is the geometry of the soul”.