5 August 11

The Golden Thread

Just like studying a new language is a portal to a different culture, so is studying calligraphic hands. This week we’re studying a few of Western ones in chronological succession, to discover how (and guess why) hands morphed from rounded Romans to compressed blackletters to slanted and graceful Italics.

This is a study of the letter “o” and its shifts through time, what Sheila Waters calls a golden thread. It’s difficult and long hours and learning how to build up a discipline. I’ve decided to go home and study them all again for a much longer period, using original manuscripts rather than what contemporary calligraphers, even if they’re masters, have interpreted them as being.

Back to my rotunda, but before I go—there’s a sheep breeder up the road. She has, oh no, covered fleeces…

Posted by at 04:30 AM in Design Arts | Link |
  1. :-) Bliss! Calligraphy and fleeces: does life get better?


    Dale Favier    5. August 2011, 08:30    Link

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