Mirza Mohammadreza Kalhor (Part2)
میرزا محمدرضا کلهر (پارت دوم)
August the 3rd is Mirza Mohammad Reza Kalhor’s memorial day.
(Born in 1829 in Kermanshah - Died on August 3rd, 1892 in Tehran) one of the calligraphers of the Nastaliq calligraphy of the Qajar era.
Kalhor was the son of Mohammad Rahim Beigi and was born in the Zagros foothills near the south of Kermanshah. Mirza Reza’s youth was spent in learning martial arts, shooting and riding as required by his tribe and family. He grew up to become a strong and well-built man, however in one of the tribe’s conflicts, he received a wound that caused him hearing loss until the end of his life. After that incident, Rezabeig due to his own desire for learning calligraphy as well as his innate talent decided to emigrate to Tehran and study under Muhammad Khansari instructions.
It was there that Rezabeig became known as Mirza Reza. After the death of his master Mohammad Khansari, Mirza Reza continued his practices following and copying Mir Emad’s calligraphy; As they say, for this purpose he went to Isfahan to practice from Mir Emad’s famouse Katibeh in Mirfenderski Tekeh.
As Mirza became famous in Nastaliq calligraphy, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, who had a tendency to encourage artists, summoned him to his court and even sometimes would practice and learn calligraphy from him. He also asked Mirza to work as a writer in the Ministry of Printing, but since he was a free-spirited man, he refused and rejected the Shah's request in several occasions, of course indirectly, However he would occasionally accept Etimad al-saltaneh’s (Minister of Printing) request to re-write a book.
According to Abdullah Mostofi, Mirza's income was from teaching a few students who would come to his house and other few to whom Mirza himself would go to their houses for lessons and also writing for the printing industry, which rarely would reach to 20 tomans a month.
Mirza used to create art in any situation, even while traveling he would utilise thick ink that is mainly for printing to create beautiful artworks. He was so talented in writing that he could write an entire word without removing the pen from the paper, which was also necessary in printing. He would write Shekasteh-Nastaliq to perfection as well.
Additionally Mirza was interested in poems and poetry too, he wrote 1500 lines of poetry in his time.
One of the most important developments during the Qajar period was the arrival of the lithography industry in the country. In fact, the transformation of the cultural level of the country, the emergence of new schools and the fact that books and literature should be available to everyone, as well as newspaper prints and the press were factors that fully showed the society's need for the printing industry.
In this situation, the calligrapher had to quickly prepare the writings for printing (for example, a newspaper). It was in this situation that Mirza Reza Kalhor, as the biggest innovator in Nastaliq calligraphy, took a step along with the printing industry.
Mirza made fundamental changes in calligraphy so that he could complete the writing of the books in a short period of time and as quickly as possible so that it was ready for printing. In fact, his changes in calligraphy led to the emergence of a new school that later became known by his own name, "Kolhari school".
The changes that Mirza made in calligraphy were the result of two important factors: one was speed and the other was printing conditions. In a short period of time, Mirza had to write on printing papers with the so-called printing mud ink, which was very thick and sticky.
Among his students, we can mention Zain al-Abdin bin Mohammad Sharifi Qazvini (Malek al-Khatatin), famous scribe Morteza Barghani (Mirkhani), Mirza Morteza Najmabadi and Seyyed Mahmoud Sadr al-Katab.
However, one of his important students who did not become his student directly is Mohammad Hossein Seifi Qazvini, nicknamed Emad Al-Katab.
Mirza Reza Kalhor died at the age of 64 and was buried in Tehran.
بيست نهم مرداد سالروز درگذشت میرزا محمدرضا کلهر
( زاده سال ۱۲۰۷ کرمانشاه -- درگذشته ۲۹ مرداد ۱۲۷۱ تهران ) از خوشنویسان خط نستعلیق زمان قاجار
کلهر فرزند محمدرحیم بیگی بود و در کوهپایه‌های زاگرس حوالی جنوب کرمانشاه چشم به جهان گشود
نوجوانی رضا بیگ به مقتضای ایلی و خانوادگی به آموختن فنون رزم، تیراندازی و سواری گذشت و مردی قوی هیکل و خوش بنیه شد، اما در یکی از درگیریهای ایل، زخمی برداشت که تا اواخر عمر باعث کم شنوایی او شد. رضابیگ به سبب میل و قریحه شخصی و استعداد ذاتی و رغبتی که به مشق خط داشت و تا حدی نیز این هنر را نزد هنرمندان ایل آموخته بود، به تهران هجرت کرد و نزد محمد خوانساری به شاگردی و مشق پرداخت
آنجا بود که رضابیگ به میرزا رضا معروف شد. پس از درگذشت استاد، میرزا رضا از روی خطوط "میرعماد" مشق می کرد؛ چنان که گویند برای این کار به اصفهان رفت تا از روی کتیبه معروف میرعماد در تکیه میرفندرسکی مشق کند
میرزا چون در خط نستعلیق شهرت یافت، ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار که به تشویق هنرمندان تمایل داشت، وی را احضارکرد و گاهی نیز نزد او تعلیم می‌گرفت، همچنین از میرزا خواست تا در وزارت انطباعات به کار کتابت مشغول شود، اما از آنجا که وی مردی آزادمنش بود، نپذیرفت و درخواست شاه را که غیرمستقیم چندین بار بیان میشد رد کرد و فقط هنگامی که اعتمادالسلطنه (وزیرانطباعات) کتابتی را به وی ارجاع می‌داد، می‌پذیرفت و به حق‌الکتابه آن قانع بود
به گفته عبداله مستوفی درآمد میرزا از تعلیم چند شاگرد که به مجلس او می‌آمده‌اند و چند شاگرد دیگر که خود میرزا به خانه آنها می‌رفته و چاپ نویسی تامین می‌شده که به ندرت در ماه ۲۰ تومان بوده است
میرزا در هر وضعیتی حتی در سفر با مرکب غلیظ چاپ به هنرآفرینی می‌پرداخت. او در نوشتن، آن قدر قدرت داشت که تمام کلمه را بدون برداشتن قلم از روی کاغذ می‌نوشت که در چاپ"نویسی این کار لازم بوده است
البته او شکسته نستعلیق را نیز خوب می‌نوشته است
میرزا به شعر و شاعری نیز علاقه داشته و هزار و پانصد بیت شعر دارد
یکی از مهمترین تحولات زمان قاجار، ورود صنعت چاپ سنگی به کشور بود
در واقع، متحول شدن سطح فرهنگی کشور، پیدایش مدارس جدید و این که کتاب و کتابت باید در دسترس همگان قرار می‌گرفت و همچنین چاپ و چاپ نویسی روزنامه و مطبوعات عواملی بودند که نیاز جامعه را به صنعت چاپ کاملاً نشان می‌دادند
در این شرایط، خوشنویس ناچار بود که به تندی کار کتابت را برای چاپ (مثلاً روزنامه) آماده سازد
در این شرایط بود که میرزا رضا کلهر به عنوان بزرگترین نوآور در خط نستعلیق به همراهی با صنعت چاپ قدم برداشت
میرزا به تغییراتی اساسی در خوشنویسی دست زد تا بتواند در زمان کم و با سرعت، کار کتابت را انجام داده، برای چاپ آماده کند. در واقع، تغییرات او در خوشنویسی باعث پیدایش مکتبی جدید شد که بعدها با نام خودش یعنی "مکتب کلهری" شهرت یافت
تغییراتی که میرزا در خط به وجود آورد، زاده دو عامل مهم بود: یکی سرعت و دیگری شرایط چاپ نویسی
میرزا باید در مدت کمی با مرکب به اصطلاح لجن چاپ که بسیار غلیظ و چسبناک بود بر روی کاغذهای چاپ کتابت می‌کرد
از میان شاگردان وی، می‌توان از زین‌العابدین بن‌محمد شریفی‌قزوینی "ملک‌الخطاطین"، کاتب شهیر مرتضی برغانی "میرخانی"، میرزا مرتضی نجم‌آبادی و سید محمود صدر‌الکتاب را نام برد
اما از شاگردان مهم وی که مستقیماً شاگردیش را نکرد محمدحسین سیفی قزوینی، ملقب به "عماد الکتاب" است
میرزا رضا کلهر در ۶۴ سالگی درگذشت و در تهران به خاک سپرده شد