Anatolian People and Life in Printmaking Works of Mustafa Aslıer, Muammer Bakır, Nevzat Akoral, Kürşat Günebakmaz

Abstract

Turkish printmaking art, which dates back to the Sanâyi-i Nefîse Mektebi (Imperial School of Fine Arts) in the country, continued to develop within the framework of new disciplines and experimental approaches in the period after the proclamation of the Republic. The printmaking art found a field of application in the art environment of the 1930s, primarily within the institutions that train artists and art teachers in the field of painting. After the 1930s, the artists educated in the Fine Arts Academy and the Gazi Middle Teaching School and Education Institute had the opportunity to express the Anatolian people and lifestyle effectively in original print paintings as well as painting picture works. In their original print works, Turkish artists sometimes considered the theme of Anatolian people and life as a subject studied and sometimes as a starting point. In the upcoming years, the art of printmaking has searched for a unique style by containing images reflecting the Anatolian people and lifestyles. The search for the analysis of social life and socio-cultural values with different techniques and materials in terms of plastic among the original printmaking artists has played an essential role in the Turkish printmaking art in order to reach national and universal dimensions. Among the Turkish printmaking art and artists, Mustafa Aslıer, Muammer Bakır, Nevzat Akoral, and M Kürşat Günebakmaz, one of today's young artists, have developed a unique thematic expression and stylistic understanding in their works. This study aims to examine the reflections of the impressions and interpretations of mentioned artists on the printmaking related to the Anatolian people and life and to analyze and evaluate their works. The study is significant in terms of contributing to the perspectives of the artists who work in the field of printmaking and, as a result, bringing the resulting data to the field literature. This study is qualitative research and is limited to the analysis of three to four works of artists selected from printmaking works.