Fake calligraphy increase everyday

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Buyers and colelctors of calligraphy art should touch the works if possible as the ink used in calligraphy is special. The pens of calligraphy art are also different, said the calligraphy art master Selim Türkoğlu. There are many fake works in the market, he adds. AA photo

The genre of calligraphy art has seen an increase in artificially created works done using computer programs, said calligraphy art master Selim Türkoğlu.

Calligraphy art has been rising in popularity over the last 15 years as more and more people begin to learn the art form, said Türkoğlu. However, in recent years the interest has changed and modern technology has led to an increase in fake works of calligraphy as artists use photo editing programs to manufacture the lines, shapes and styles of calligraphy.

“I worry for the future of this art. Currently, [some artists] are doing tricks on computer programs. The technology has entered into the artwork and they are creating fake works,” he said. Traditional calligraphy art is a very difficult thing to create, Türkoğlu said. “A work takes weeks to finish.”
The only think that creators of fake works cannot mimic is the signature under the works.

“Calligraphy art has its own accessories,” added Türkoğlu. In order to understand fake works, Türkoğlu said, the buyers would look at the work before it is framed.

The “real” ink usage

Buyers should also touch the works if possible as the ink used in calligraphy is special. The pens of calligraphy art are also different, he said. Some countries are beginning to use chemical inks. Those inks have a shorter life span, Türkoğlu said, adding that the traditional trace ink is made by hand, however, other inks made from chemicals fade away over time.

Calligraphy art is the identity of Islam, according to Türkoğlu.

There are certain dimensions and a discipline to this art, Türkoğlu said. “In order to do this art properly a pen and a hand are necessary,” he said, adding that calligraphy is known as the art of beauty.
If something other than hand and pen enters the creation stage of the art we cannot call it the art of beauty, he said. Since the period of Abbasids the art of calligraphy has developed a lot, Türkoğlu said. “After Fatih Sultan Mehmet made Istanbul the city of beauty and science, calligraphy art has also developed a lot. Calligraphy art gained its identity during the Ottoman era,” he said, adding that the second important era of development for calligraphy was during the Beyezid era.” The support of the palace was very important, he said. Today calligraphy art is still living with the support of a few people, said Türkoğlu.