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BADAT, Bilal
Creativity and Tradition in Ottoman Calligraphy
Much of the criticism leveled at Ottoman calligraphy emerges from a perceived lack of originality and creativity.
Ottoman calligraphy is repeatedly cast as a tradition transmitted within a rigid and restrictive framework whereby established
conventions remain for the most part unchallenged. It will be argued here that such assessments emerge from the
application of archaic European categories of aesthetic judgment on Ottoman calligraphy, frameworks that fail to examine
the highly complex traditions of ‘change’ and ‘innovation’ within the Ottoman tradition itself. Resulting from a methodological
approach based on praxis, this paper will argue that Ottoman calligraphers engaged in some of the most complex
and innovative approaches to originality and creativity whilst operating within the rubric of traditional pedagogical and
Islamic principles. By taking the idea of ‘innovation’ as a subject of study, fresh analyses can be presented into the Ottoman
calligraphic tradition which can further inform the complex relationships that exist between Ottoman art, society, mysticism
and religion.
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