Written by Yaacoub Roubai

Known as an avant-garde calligrapher and a pioneer of Arab modernism, Samir Sayegh was born in 1945 in Beirut. After studying at the Saint Savior Convent in Joun, Lebanon, he pursued an art history degree at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. As a critic and historian, he wrote numerous publications on Arab contemporary art from 1970 to 1985. Since then, Sayegh has devoted himself to the development of Arabic calligraphy into a form of modern visual art, in line with the principles of Hurufiyyathat emerged among Arab and Arab-American artists during the second half of the twentieth century. A prolific writer and a poet, he is the author of several books on Sufi poetry and Islamic art. He additionally lectured in the architecture and design department at the American University of Beirut from 2003 to 2007.

Sayegh fell in love with calligraphy at age 12 and has worked to preserve it since the 1950s. He experimented with geometric, structural and abstract possibilities to liberate Arabic letters from traditional connotations and meaning-based restrictions, instead focusing purely on aesthetic properties. Influenced by the angularKufic scripts of early Qur’ans, he created a new set of typefaces by merging traditional calligraphy with contemporary design. 

To create his modern calligraphic masterpieces, Sayegh makes his own giant (up to 35cm) felt-wrapped pensto draw wide acrylic or ink lines on paper or fabric. This technique evokes Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, but Sayegh nevertheless adheres to the system of angles and proportions that has been practiced in the Arab world for many centuries. The result is strong, dynamic letters that are free from linguistic utilitarianism. The artist uses monochromatic colors and square edges so that each letter is deconstructed from its original form and unbound from semantic use. For Sayegh, the process of reading comes second to seeing.  

Sayegh lives and works in Beirut. 

Sources

Star, Sana Beirut, American University of Beirut. "The Art of Arabic Letters." YouTube. November 18, 2014. Accessed March 12, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=rvcXk6c3n-A

Arni, Sophie Mayuko. "Abstract Calligraphy: Lebanese and Japanese Artists Meet." Global Art Daily, October 6, 2016.

Shaban| The Daily. "An Anatomy of the Written Letter." The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. September 26, 2016. Accessed March 10, 2019. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Arts-and-Ent/Culture/2016/Sep-27/373855-an-anatomy-of-the-written-letter.ashx

Star, India Stoughton| The Daily. "The Triumph of Form over Content." The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. May 14, 2014. Accessed March 8, 2019. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Art/2014/May-14/256335-the-triumph-of-form-over-content.ashx