Turkish ---1930’s the artists

1930s

 

In the 1930’s the artists of military background were predominant, and the ‘Union of Independent Painters and Sculptors’ and ‘Group D’ (explained below) saw the emergence of painting civilians. Founded in 1883, the Academy of Fine Arts had no rival in Turkey, except for the Gazi Institute of Education, which was founded in Ankara in 1932. The Gazi Institute of Education has produced some of Turkey's major painters, teachers and professors of today and has come to rival the Academy of Fine Arts. The style that had been dominant in Europe since the beginning of 20th century, began to appear in Turkey during the years following the 1930's

 

1933 opened up a new and modern era of Turkish painting. Painters, such as Nurullah Berk(1906-1982), Cemal Tollu(1899-1968), Abidin Dino(1913-1993), Elif Naci, Zeki Faik Izer(1905-1988), Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu,(1913-1975) and one sculptor Zuhtu Muridoglu, all of whom studied in Europe, came back to Turkey to unite and form an avant-garde group which they called ‘Group D’ Although ‘Group D’ involved few participants, its scope and impact were great. They appear to have been truly successful in creating a style. Cemal Tollu and Zeki Faik Izer had spent some time in Paris in the studios of Lhote, Leger, Gromaire, Despiau and Gimond.

 

Abidin Dino studied art in the Soviet Union between 1934-1937 and he cultivated surrealism with an oriental flavor. The 'D Group' used Cubism to abstract form from detail, and members like Nurullah Berk turned the delicate work of Turkish embroidery as well as motifs from Turkish kilims into abstract, Cubic forms. Afterwards Arif Kaptan and Sabri Berkel joined this group. In 1947 the 'D Group' dismantled.

The first state museum of painting and sculpture opened in Istanbul in 1936, more than half a century after the Academy of Fine Arts had opened there. The space was in Dolmabahce Palace. In 1937, the French Leopold Levy was invited to preside over the painting section at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul. He and other young Turkish Art teachers rapidly gave excellent results. In 1939, the first annual painting and sculpture exhibition and awards ceremony was held in Istanbul.