Calligraphy by Sullivan Jane

Author:Sullivan, Jane [Sullivan, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781441321855
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press
Published: 2016-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Gothic Letters

A calligrapher needs to cultivate the ability to see many things at once: the letterform itself; the negative or “counter” space within it; the balance of vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and curved strokes; the slant of the script; and even to visualize the flow of an arabesque or decorative stroke that will require several separate strokes to “construct.” When the Carolingian was superseded by the Gothic, another “vision” came into play, in greater force than ever before. This was the appreciation of the texture of the entire page of script. This heightened capacity to view the total composition created by a body of text was at the heart of the “Gothic” revolution.

As you master, little by little, the gestures of each style of script, you will become more and more conscious of this “rhythm” created by the marks you make on the page. Each alphabet offers a different “music” to the eye. And this is not to be judged letter by letter, but by the effect of many letters, and lines of text, seen globally. From the 9th to the 15th centuries, scribes became very attentive to this aspect of calligraphic composition, and to a richness of texture which could be augmented by the use of design features such as tiny “diamonds” on the ends of minims, “forked” ascenders and descenders, and a ductus demanding many pen-lifts—so as to leave little “thorns” protruding here and there on each letter! The result of all this affectation, and the emphasis on horizontal and vertical force in the script, was that the page gave the impression of being densely “woven.” Hence the name in Latin of textualis, which evokes this characteristic.

Another image to help us to appreciate this transition in style is to compare this calligraphy to the changes in architectural tastes of the period. The Carolingian hand evokes the Romanesque churches, solid and rounded forms. The Gothic leads us upward with soaring steeples, flying buttresses, intricate stained glass, and delicate and almost “light” sculptures (albeit in stone!) that display a lacelike intricacy. All this is coupled with strange and fantastic forms: gargoyles and monsters, angels, and legendary beasts.

Notice how the letters of this alphabet keep their balance on tiny pointed feet, and how the warp and weft of the strokes creates a rhythm of ink and paper that is almost binary (the counter-space between two minims can be the same width as the minim itself!). And, in the margins of the Gothic manuscripts, just as on the exteriors of the great cathedrals, one finds a world of grotesque and fabulous creatures, called “drolleries.”

The pen angle for Gothic varies between 35° and 45°, with subtle changes sometimes in the same letter. However, this is usually an easy style to master: as each stroke is separate, you learn to create the ductus “piece by piece.” At the same time, you will train your eye to see the composition of a page of text. With this upright and regular script, you will naturally find your own rhythm and cadence.

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