Mouneer Al-Shaarani

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Mouneer Al-Shaarani
منير الشعراني
Born (1952-09-16) September 16, 1952 (age 71)
Salamiyah, Syria
NationalitySyrian
Known forGraphic arts, Arabic calligraphy
WebsiteMouneer Al-Shaarani on Facebook

Mouneer Al-Shaarani (Arabic: منير الشعراني; born September 6, 1952) is a Syrian graphic artist specialized in Arabic calligraphy.[1] Al-Shaarani is known as calligrapher, graphic designer and writer about Arabic calligraphy and Arab Islamic art. He has designed several Arabic typefaces for book covers or other graphic creations. His work has been exhibited in several Arab countries, Malaysia, Europe, Australia and the United States and is internationally present in collections of contemporary Arabic art.[2][3] Between 1985 and 2007, he lived and worked in Cairo, Egypt,[4] and later returned to live in Damascus.

Artistic profile[edit]

From the age of 10, Al-Shaarani studied the art of Arabic calligraphy under the Syrian calligrapher Muḥammad Badawi Al-Dirany,[5] and until his graduation in 1977, he studied Fine Arts at Damascus University.[4]

Based on his command of traditional Arabic calligraphy, Al-Shaarani has been using historical calligraphic styles, such as Kairouan Kufic, Square Kufic, Thuluth or Maghrebi script, and at the same time, developed and modernized the shapes of drawing Arabic letters and typeface design according to his personal, modern style.[6][7] Choosing his texts both from Islamic, as well as from Christian religious sources, but mainly from Arab philosophers or Sufi poets, such as Ibn Arabi, Al-Mutanabbi, or Ibn Sina, he conveys non-religious, but universal messages. An example is this quote from the Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran "The whole earth is my homeland and the human family my clan."[8]

Apart from historical quotes, he sometimes also expresses his own contemporary messages, such as in his work entitled There is no creativity where there is no freedom[9] and in his graphic images starting with the message NO TO... "No to killing, no to prison, no to intimidation, no to humiliation, no to hypocrisy, no to oppression, no to violence, no to fear, no to falsehood, no to terrorism, no to corruption."[10]

Another important aspect of Al-Shaarani's artistic work is his view that "Arabic calligraphy has nothing to do with religion. It is the result of a civilization and not a religion. Religion benefited from calligraphy and not the other way round. The development of Arabic script was not initiated by religion, but by the state of the Umayyads. Second, calligraphy is an art. It has no finality or climax. The Arabic script has no “sacred” status for me."[11]

Among his other calligraphic work, Al-Shaarani created the logo for the Syrian group for Arabic classical music, called Takht al-nagham in New York City.[12]

Critical reception[edit]

In 2016, digital media platform Mashable published several of Al-Shaarani's graphic works, expressing his artistic statements about his war-torn country, including comments on his poetic and philosophical messages.[13]

The master calligrapher, who has evolved the ancient Arabic tradition from its religious roots, is creating deeply intellectual work that reflects his interest in modern poetry and literature, alongside Christian and Sufi philosophy.

— Ariel Bogle, Syrian artist's stunning calligraphy captures the hope of a war torn country

In the 2020 historical overview A History of Arab Graphic Design by Egyptian art historians Bahia Shehab and Haytham Nawar,[14] Al-Shaarani is credited for his invention of new Arabic calligraphic styles and his calligraphic work for book covers, logos, and typeface design.[15] In 2023, Lebanese writer Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès co-published a monograph both in Arabic and English titled Mouneer Al-Shaarani, Against the Grain: Exploring the Scope of the Arabic Letter. Apart from chapters about his personal creations developing Arabic calligraphy into a modern graphic art, the book features several of his book covers and information on his political engagement.[16]

Al-Shaarani's graphic art has been featured in Arabic and international news media and exhibited in several Arab countries, Malaysia, Europe, Australia and the United States. His biography and work By their fruits, you shall know them were included in the British Museum's 2006 exhibition and catalogue Word into Art. Artists of the Modern Middle East.[17] It is also internationally present in public and private collections of contemporary Arabic art.[2][18]

Major exhibitions[edit]

See also[edit]

Literature[edit]

  • Bahia Shehab and Haytham Nawar, A History of Arab Graphic Design. Cairo, Egypt: American University in Cairo Press, 2020, ISBN 9781649031952
  • Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès and Nagla Samir, Mouneer Al-Shaarani, Against the Grain: Exploring the Scope of the Arabic Letter. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Khatt Books, 2023, ISBN 978-94-90939-29-8 (e-book, with preview)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ghazoul, Ferial J. (2001-01-01). "The poetics of calligraphy: an interview with Mouneer Al-Shaa'rani". Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics: 288–290.
  2. ^ a b "Mouneer Al-Shaarani". Khatt Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  3. ^ "Mouneer Al Shaarani - Art on 56th". www.arton56th.com. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  4. ^ a b "people - Sharjah Art Foundation". sharjahart.org. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  5. ^ Muḥammad Badawī al-Dīrānī, khaṭṭāṭ Bilād al-Shām = Arabic calligrapher Badawi Al-Dirani 1894-1967 /. Damascus: al-Amānah al-ʻĀmmah li-Iḥtifālīyat Dimashq ʻĀṣimat al-Thaqāfah al-ʻArabīyah. 2008.
  6. ^ "In conversation with Mouneer Al Shaarani". The National. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  7. ^ Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès and Nagla Samir, Mouneer Al-Shaarani, Against the Grain: Exploring the Scope of the Arabic Letter. 2023, p. 28-74
  8. ^ "منير الشعراني - Mouneer Alshaarani". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  9. ^ "One Fine Art | artists - calligraphers / Mouneer Al Shaarani". www.onefineart.com. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  10. ^ Leyne, Jon (2012-03-19). "Syrian artists portray year of bloodshed and turmoil". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  11. ^ In an interview on the occasion of his exhibition in Berlin in 2018, he is quoted in German like this: Erstens hat die arabische Kalligraphie nichts mit Religion zu tun. Sie ist das Ergebnis einer Zivilisation und nicht einer Religion. Die Religion profitierte von der Kalligrafie und nicht umgekehrt. Die Entwicklung der arabischen Schrift wurde nicht von der Religion angestoßen, sondern vom Staat der Umayyaden. Zweitens ist die Kalligraphie eine Kunst. Sie kennt weder Endgültigkeit noch Höhepunkt. Die arabische Schrift hat für mich keinen „heiligen“ Status – ich will genau diesen Käfig aufbrechen, der in der Zeit der Osmanen um die Schrift herum errichtet wurde.[1]
  12. ^ "Performance | Syrian Music Preservation Initiative". syrianmusic.org. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  13. ^ Bogle, Ariel (2016-03-10). "Syrian artist's stunning calligraphy captures the hope of a war torn country". Mashable. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  14. ^ Shehab, Bahia; Nawar, Haytham (2020). A History of Arab Graphic Design. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-416-891-8.
  15. ^ Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, Huda (2022-07-21). "A Kaleidoscopic Overview of Graphic Design from the Arab World". Art Journal Open. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  16. ^ Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, Huda; Samir, Nagla (2023-12-28). "Mouneer Al-Shaarani, Against the Grain: Exploring the Scope of the Arabic Letter - Khatt Books". Khatt Books - Publishers on design and visual culture of the Middle East and North Africa. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  17. ^ Porter, Venetia (2006). Word into Art. Artists of the Modern Middle East. Internet Archive. London : British Museum Press. pp. 35, 140. ISBN 978-0-7141-1163-6.
  18. ^ "Mouneer Al Shaarani - Art on 56th". www.arton56th.com. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  19. ^ "Mouneer Al Shaarani @ Europia Art Gallery, Paris, 2016". europia.org. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  20. ^ "Calligraphie : De la musique pour les yeux - Ahram Hebdo". hebdo.ahram.org.eg. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-04.

Further reading[edit]

  • Bahia Shehab and Haytham Nawar, A History of Arab Graphic Design. Cairo, Egypt: American University in Cairo Press, 2020. 360 pp.; 659 color ills. ISBN 9789774168918

External links[edit]

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