Micrography (from Greek language, literally small-writing – "Μικρογραφία"), also called microcalligraphy, is a form of developed in the 9th century, with parallels in Christianity and Islam,[ Torah, Bible, Coran (French)] utilizing minute Hebrew alphabet to form representational, geometric and abstract designs. Colored micrography is especially distinctive because these rare artworks are customarily rendered in black and white.
Description
The artwork is created from text that forms an image when viewed at a distance, creating an interplay between the text and image. The
photomosaic, whose tiny individual images form a mosaic when viewed from a distance, is a modern analogue. Another modern analogue is
ASCII art, where ASCII or extended ASCII characters are arranged to form an image on a computer screen and/or printout.
Motivation
There is a relationship between this form of art, employing both digital and analogic symbols, and the restrictions on images found in the second commandment. Micrography provides a unique solution to the visual artist who wishes to remain devout in observation of
Jewish law, by using only text, not images per se. As similar restrictions exist in certain
Islam societies, this solution has been adapted in Islamic calligraphy to the
Arabic alphabet as well.
See also
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Matthias Buchinger
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Los Angeles Pop Art
External links
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Micrography: Text Art and Typography
