Julien Breton: Maestro of Light Calligraphy

Abstract

This paper presents the artistic work of the French artist Julien Breton, known by the nicknameKaalam. In the beginnings, he was influenced by graffiti art and Islamic calligraphy. Breton didnot follow classical calligraphic styles but sought to find his own calligraphic expression thatmirrored diwani, thuluth, and kufi script. The biggest leap in his aesthetics happened when hereplaced pen and paper with light calligraphy, and a change of medium made him one of theprotagonists of this art. In addition to exploring the possibilities of light calligraphy, Bretoncollaborates with other artists where the most interesting projects are with dance groups.

Keywords

• julien breton
• kaalam
• light calligraphy
• light graffiti
• islamic calligraphy
• islamic art
• contemporary art