Be on the Trail of Tradition: The Calligrapher Hüseyin Kutlu’s Life and His Art

Abstract Hüseyin Kutlu is one of our significant hattat (calligrapher) and he is the most important representatives of the hüsn-i hat school (the ？slamic calligraphy) in 21th century. Kutlu has born into a intellectual family and grown in a lore milieu. After his philosophy education he has worked as imam and he served for twenty-six years. During this time, with the understanding of “？slam is a civilization and the center of this civilization is mosque” he put efford on invigorating the mosque which has lost its function and he has combined mosque with art. Kutlu, who quite productive hattat (calligrapher), emphasizes a lot about relations between architecture and the hat/lettering. He have identified the contemporary problems between art of hüsn-i hat (calligraphy) and architectural structure. When he performs his works, his measure always been principles of ？slamic civilization. He pays attention to the meaning, effects of stain, right of pen and functionality in order to be eligible of condition in works. It is crucial to state that, his mentality of art is not only limited by works also he is a calligrapher who practices what he thinks about his works. Also he is a calligrapher who efforts to reflect his works to scientific studies. Articles were made in accordance with interviews belongs to Hattat (calligrapher) Hüseyin Kutlu. Summary U？ur Derman says, in XVIII. century, as in other traditional arts, there has been no change and transformation in the art of calligraphy. This is due to the fact that the art of calligraphy does not have an equivalent in the West, the art of calligraphy is transferred from generation to generation with the master-apprentice method and the art of calligraphy has the ability to regenerate within its own structure. But then, a century later, there were difficulties at the point of the maintenance of calligraphy. These difficulties were primarily due to economic problems in the period. The cultural and social change brought about by modernization and the structural transformations experienced in every aspect of social life, not only negatively affected the traditional arts and cultural life but also created obstacles that hard to overcome in the presence of calligraphy. In the XIX century, the traditional dynamics of the social structure and economy of the Ottoman Empire was transformed and undergone significant changes. As a result of a series of battles that began with the Crimean War, continued with Balkan Wars and the First World War, the country suffered greatly in financial damage. In the face of this economic