Contemporary Turkish Artists Inspired by Manuscripts: Three Cases -in English [TR: El Yazmalarından İlham Alan Çağdaş Türk Sanatçıları: Üç Örnek] (original) (raw)

2023, 2023, 16th International Congress of Turkish Art. October 3-5, 2019, Ankara: Proceedings, vol. 2 16. Uluslararası Türk Sanatları Kongresi. 3-5 Ekim 2019, Ankara : Bildiriler, C. 2 (İstanbul: TC Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, 2023).

Inspirational sources of the artists are almost limitless. Many individual and/or social events and phenomena such as nature, faith, social environment, politics, emotions, and dreams have inspired art production. In this paper, three Turkish artists from three generations will be examined through their artworks that are inspired by manuscripts and miniatures. The paper will also exhibit their interpretation of the high art of the past in contemporary art while transmitting to new media. Among the initial inspirational sources that have been transferred from the past are geometrical designs and calligraphic arts. However, at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, contemporary artists were also influenced by illumination, illustration, and marbled paper. Besides, modern masters of Turkish classical art have started to use contemporary techniques, imagery, and compositions. In addition to the traditional artists who create content in contemporary forms, the works of contemporary artists inspired by the past are almost in a dialogue today. Since the end of the past century, a new title, "Contemporary Islamic Art", was created as a classification to claim some contemporary works produced in the region called MENA (Middle East, North Africa) including Turkey. First of all, the title is problematic in relating calligraphy, illumination, etc. as arts associated directly with Islam. Moreover, bringing all contemporary artists from the MENA region, who often use "Islamic" motifs in their works is not very appropriate for the art historical approach. Because, in this highly cosmopolitan region, each country's unique culture, tradition, history, and social structure affect every artist differently and shape their art practices. Art in Turkey is affected by politics of culture, education training, the demand for art circles, etc. A sharp sword might symbolize the distinction between contemporary art and traditional art in the past, but today it seems like the sword has left its place to a soft thread. Because internet and social media make it easy to access information and images as well as receive fast feedback through the same media which is an advantage for every artist. In this environment, all forms of art can learn from each other and the concept of "interdisciplinarity" can be seen in the art world. In this paper, three artists from three different generations of Turkish contemporary art will be presented. The use of manuscripts and miniatures in their styles and techniques will be analyzed to display their interactions with past traditions.