Calligraphy: pictures in words

The good news is neat handwriting isn’t a prerequisite of success with a calligraphy pen, as several leading artists in ink explain

- MARY SKIPWITH

Can any other form of communication be as laden with promise or savoured with such anticipation as an envelope elegantly addressed in calligraphy? Spying such correspondence on the doormat provokes a frisson of excitement that the sound of an email notification from your device will never rival. Furthermore, it isn’t just the boast-worthy content – an invitation to a day’s shooting, a drinks party or a wedding – that prompts us to prop it on the mantelpiece. Much of the appeal is in the opportunity to admire the handiwork and artistry, too.

Since the end of the 18th century, when Edward Johnston, widely regarded as the father of modern calligraphy, and artists and designers such as William Morris brought it to wider attention, calligraphy has enjoyed a revival. More recently, high-profile champions of the style, including the Duchess of Sussex, have sparked a further resurgence. In the Middle East and East Asia, it is categorised as ‘high art’, the most superior art form, and consequently is much sought after.

In September, thieves stole a calligraphy scroll by the former Communist leader Mao Zedong from an art collector’s home. It was discovered in Hong Kong a month later but as it had reportedly been mistaken for a fake and deemed too long to display it had been slashed in half, simultaneously inflicting similar damage on its value. As paper cuts go, this was more excruciating than most; it had originally been estimated at £230 million.