Zeynep
Demircan Aksoy
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Portrait – figure: This is a subject type that Osman Asaf portrayed the least often.
According to the sources, there have been two pieces identified. One of them is the Arabian
Beggar painted in an Orientalist style and the other is his self-portrait (Figure 18).
Still life: Although the artist produced a limited number of pieces depicting fruits or
vegetables in a dish, it can be seen that these paintings produce a strong effect (Figure 19).
1909 dated bed covers piece bearing the signature of Osman Asaf also has a naturalist
decoration and is a rare example of Turkish art. The artist’s masterly “muralist-like”
craftsmanship which details different flower bouquets on cream satin cloth testifies to how
successful he was in still life genre (Figure 20).
Figure 20. Bed covers with Osman Asaf's signature, 215x175 cm. Alif Art
2011b
4-2. Osman Asaf’s Style
It can be said that Osman Asaf is a landscape painter in the fullest sense of the term. Although
his contemporaries also focused on the same subject, it would not be wrong to place Osman
Asaf’s approach to landscape within the school of Hoca Ali R za. As a proper outdoor painter
and a master of patterns, Hoca Ali R za, who was one of the cornerstones of Turkish painting
and produced countless works, wished to portray all the historical and natural beauties of
İstanbul in his paintings. In Hoca’s paintings, secluded cliffs, hills and the alleys of İstanbul,
first and foremost those of Üsküdar, are drawn by using meticulous craftsmanship and the
principle of realism (Turgut, 2005, pp. 49-59). The principles he adhered to for all his life
helped his style develop into what is called the “Hoca Ali R za School” in Turkish painting.
The style observed and was dominant in Osman Asaf’s works was affected by this school
(Sar dikmen, 2007, p.67).
The fact that artists sometimes paint with a broad perspective and other times portray
nature with a cut view both reflects the period’s sense of art and shows that they were
influenced by each other. Among the scenes selected as the subject of painting, İstanbul ranks
the first. In addition to the natural beauties of the city, street sections that provide the identity
of the city were among the mostly utilized themes. Many paintings, primarily of those of the
streets of Üsküdar and others such as
Cave and
Landscape with Fountain clearly show the
influence of Hoca Ali R za on Osman Asaf (Figures 20-24).
In addition to Osman Asaf, the influence of Hoca Ali R za can be seen in the paintings
of artists such as Bahriyeli İsmail Hakk (1863-1926), Dr. Hikmet Hamdi Bey (1872-1931),
Ali R za Toroslu (1875-1935), Ali R za Beyaz t (1883-1963) and Süheyl Ünver (1896-1986).
In fact, even though Sami Yetik, whose admiration for Hoca was well known, created his own
style and became a successful impressionistic painter, it is possible to see the influence of
Hoca in his paintings particularly where he depicted old Turkish houses (Turgut, 2005, p. 52).
Even though Osman Asaf did not sign some of his paintings, he mostly signed the ones
he did in old Turkish alphabet. Moreover, he did not forget to put an information note to the
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Osman Asaf of the First Generation
Artists of Turkish Painting
side of his paintings where he tried to completely reproduce reality and add a date according
to the Islamic calendar. For this reason, the works of the artist have the aspect of a document
for particularly the vanishing historical fabric.
Utilizing watercolor and gouache in addition to the oil on canvas technique, the artist
preferred to use the different shades of the same color with the help of tiny brush strokes
rather than forming a very dense color stratum. For this reason, it is not possible to see a hasty
attitude in Osman Asaf’s paintings but there are rather the traces of a peaceful, calm and
patient personality.
Figure 20. Osman Asaf.
Cave. 1922, gouache on cardboard, 18x28 cm. Uğurlu, 1991
Figure 21- Hoca Ali R za.
Cave. (n.d.), watercolor on paper, 18x15.5 cm. İstanbul Museum of Painting and
Sculpture
Figure 23. Osman Asaf.
Fountain. (n.d.), oil
on canvas, 50x70 cm. Antik, 2015
Figure 24. Hoca Ali R za.
Fountain. (n.d.), oil on canvas, 74.5x100 cm.
National Palaces Collection,Turkey
5- Conclusion
The period in which Osman Asaf lived and produced his first artworks was the early years of
the beginning of Western-style Turkish painting. It was inevitable for the painters of this era
to turn their face towards nature. The indeterminate use of figure in nature or its very small
presence compared to the weight given to nature was the effect of an understanding that was
caused by the social and cultural environment of this period.
Osman Asaf was a member of the first generation of artists that graduated from the
School of Fine Arts; however he is mentioned to as if he was behind many of his
contemporaries. The reason for this may be the fact that his paintings were weaker in terms of
technique with respect to those of a master such as Hoca Ali R za and that he did not produce
great numbers of artworks. His choice to practice teaching in order to sustain himself and his