ART SNAPSHOTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT TURKEY Çağlayan Secondary School

THE FIRST PRESENTATION FAMILY PORTRAIT OSMAN HAMDI BEY ( A LADY OF CONSTANTINOPLE )

This painting,‘’A Lady of Constantinople, Istanbul is signed by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1881. Although it is known that Osman Hamdi generally preferred figuring his close environment , it isn’t known who the lady is in this painting. He figured Turkish values and a young lady who reflects the latest fashion of Paris with her clothes.It is a great example of orientalist painting. Also in Turkish Art history it is one of the tries of figuring a person with an overall length.

Osman Hamdi Bey ( 30 December 1842, Istanbul - 24 February 1910, Istanbul) Osman Hamdi Bey was the son of İbrahim Ethem Pasha, an Ottoman Grand Vizier.Osman Hamdi Bey went to primary school in the popular Istanbul quarter of Beşiktaş,after which he studied Law, first in Istanbul (1856) and then in Paris (1860). However, he decided to pursue his interest in painting instead, left the Law program, and trained under French orientalist painters Jean-Léon Gérôme  and Gustave Boulanger. Osman Hamdi Bey also met his first wife Maria, a French woman, in Paris when he was a student and then had two daughters. He was an Ottoman statesman, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering Turkish painter. He was also an accomplished archaeologist, and is considered as the pioneer of the museum curator’s profession in Turkey. He was the founder of Istanbul Archaeology Museums and of Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi in Turkish, known today as the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts. In brief ,he was an intellectual who looked forward to the future. His  cultural and artistic activities and endeavors were to lead the society towards    modernization.

A LADY OF TODAY.

In the painting you see the reflection of French fashion in Ottoman period. The elegant ladies dress such clothes when they go to a special invitation. The lady dresses formerly a long, full coat which is called ‘’ ferace.’’ Inside this coat there is a white dress on her. As you see her hair is covered with a cloth like a hat and her face is covered with a transparent veil. On the other side, you see a lady who goes to a special invitation, too. She dresses a long, modern dress with cleavage. Her hair is open and a part of elegance. She uses earrings and a purse as accessories. Instead of only eye make up in Ottoman period, women can apply make up on their complete faces today. When you look at the feelings of portraits, you see a lady who is shy and formal in the painting. However you see a self-confident lady with a smiling face in the photo. We can say that there are big differences in both their clothing styles and manners that reflect the habits of the past and present…

THE SECOND PRESENTATION NAMIK ISMAIL ( A FAMILY PORTRAIT )

This painting signed by Namık Ismail in 1800s.

Namık Ismail (1890, Samsun - 30 August 1935 ,Istanbul ) Namık Ismail started his education in Istanbul. When he was in Primary school, he was so interested in Art. After he had studied in Galatasaray High School, he went to Paris for Art education. First he trained at Academy of Julian and then Fernand Cormon workshops. In 1919 he came back to Turkey and started to teach Art. Then he worked for a newspaper as an artist and editor in chief.In 1922 he went to Paris and won a competition that was related to the book ‘’Les Desenchantees’’ of Pierre Loti.In 1928 he became the director of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Namık Ismail was known with his realistic figures and landscape paintings.It is seen that he followed an attitude from starting impressionism to reaching expressionism in his paintings. He was one of the defender artists who said ‘’ Art is for society. ‘’

The Today Photo of a family. (June, 2014)

Both in the painting and the photo there are two middle class families Both in the painting and the photo there are two middle class families.In the painting you see the traditional villagers’ clothes of Ottoman period. Both women and men wear baggy trousers (şalvar). Men wear hats which are called ‘’ fes.’’ The women are veiled. In the family life of that time, women only deal with housework and look after the children. Men earn their keep of the family. In the painting you see that the house is made of soil. Windows are in deep coves so they can be used as shelves. On the walls there are some Islamic items and pictures and some symbols of fertility.The furniture are made of wood such as the lounge that they sit. However, in today photo the traditional clothes give place to quite comfortable and modern clothes. You see high apartments and concrete buildings. This family lives in a flat. They have some decorative items which reflect their likes. More modern and stylish furniture are prefered. Furthermore we can indicate that both women and men take place together in family life and also work life today.

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