YÜZEYDE VE DERİNLİKTE

18 |
us to the rhythm of the world. In the broadest
sense those on the periphery became cozy
with one another as meetings of the Balkans
and Middle East were arranged. Artists
began to do their work without a tie to any
region, shedding their egos to join forces
with people from other corners of the world
who shared their concerns. Other alternative
groups came together, and artists were no
longer solitary.
Coming to the new millennium we see that
artists who started producing work between
1950 and 1960 continue to work alongside
those who became active between 1990 and
2000, and this is borne out by the present
exhibition. There is an inter-generational
continuity. We may speak of numerous points
of intersection among these artists in the
process of abstraction which links the 1950s
to the 2000s. Although the area in which they
have the greatest freedom is the canvas, it
should be said that they have begun to create
a language which is equally original. At the
same time they have the power and daring
to change direction at any moment in this
process of original creation. They strive to be
only themselves, on the surface or in depth.
Market-oriented developments are a process,
one that is open-ended and unspoken words
have to do with unaccomplished deeds.
The Mission of the Turkish Artist
Those who first went to the West 150 years
ago – what did they do when they came
back? Well, as an example, when Osman
Hamdi Bey returned to Istanbul, within four
years he had founded both the Academy of
Fine Arts and the archeological museum, of
which he became curator. Following in the
footsteps of Osman Hamdi, we may speak of
a tradition which over the course of 150 years
has carried Turkish art from the enlightened
souls of Ottoman times to the intellectuals of
the republic. In this process those who went
west and studied western-style art, when
they returned to Turkey not only painted but
always pioneered innovations which would
advance society, and taught with the aim of
sharing what they knew.
This exhibition at Tunca Art Gallery provides
a panorama of the 2000s, and what we have
just said above is borne out by the fact that of
the 36 artists in the show, 18 are teachers.
Şeker Ahmet Paşa too, when he returned to
his homeland, held the first exhibitions (1873,
1875). Süleyman Seyit gave instruction, and
Halil Paşa served as director at the Academy
of Fine Arts.
Among the efforts to do western-style
paintings should be mentioned the strong
desire to paint of the last caliph, Abdülmecit
Efendi, and the fact that in this pursuit
he created around him a circle of all the
enlightened Ottomans, not only drawing
strength from them but also lending them
support. Abdülmecit Efendi was not only
Islam’s last caliph, he was also the Heir
Apparent, and at the same time he first
founded the Society of Ottoman Painters in
1908. On the one hand he himself drew the
plans for his manor and embellished its walls
with traditional artistic motifs, while on the
other he executed western-style paintings
in this manor and with them took part in
the 1918 Vienna exhibition, thus serving as
a fine example of the dual character that
had begun to form in culture between the
East and West. In this manor he also asked
that a mural be done by Hüseyin Avni Lifij,
whose talents he admired. As for Hoca Ali
Rıza, he served for four years as chairman
of the Society of Ottoman Painters which
Abdülmecit Efendi had founded. Another
unusual figure in Turkish art, Mihri Müşfik