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Mehmet Erim
Within the Department of Graphic Arts, the opening of a printmaking workshop, which was
well equipped for that day, has drawn the attention of artists and institutions to this field. In
the same year, work on fabric printing of wood blocks has been started in the Department of
Textile Arts. In this department, on the one hand traditional yazma works have been compiled
and evaluated scientifically, on the other hand modern fabric printing works have been
performed. Nowadays, benefiting from the wood engraving-printing techniques has taken its
place in the teaching, while researching and practicing the modern original printmaking
painting and modern textile printmaking design has been formed. ( Gökayd n,1987,"Tahta
Bask Tekniği Dünü Bugünü Eğitimde Yeri" Türk Alman
Ağaç Bask Sanat , p.46)
Painters, sculptors, handcraftors, designers or architects benefit from designing
elements as a expression instruments to convey their opinions. Fundamental instruments such
as “line, form, colour, texture, size” in an organization are aesthetic designing elements.
These elements have been brought side by side on different materials and have been related to
each other on the grounds of some principles. Designing principles expressed as rhythm,
harmony, antagonism, theory, domination, balance and unity play an assistant and advisor
role in using the fundamental instruments such as line, form, colour, texture and size. In
general, these fundamental elements are taken as criteria in every organization.
3. Yazma in Turkish Painting
Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu, was born in Giresun - Gorele in 1911 and then he became one of the
most important figures of history of Turkish painting art. Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu is one of the
building stones of Turkish art with his artist personality and educator identity. In addition to
the joy of life and human love in the direction of social affairs, the other important inspiration
of the artist is the traditional methods that come from Anatolian culture. Bedri Rahmi
Eyuboglu, inspired by Anatolian culture, has searched for various materials. At the end of this
search, by studying the yazma works from the handcrafts of Anatolian lands and modern
sense of art, he used them in his works. The artist who has made ceramic and mosaic works
together with yazma works has seen art as a life act. With these views, he has deeply
influenced many of his students at the Academy of Fine Arts. Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu has
determined the local content of his painting in Corum. At the end of 1942, the government of
that time, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Republican People’s Party) with a new decision, has
changed the administration and editorial board of Ulku Journal, published by community
centers and has wanted to modernize it formalistically and to accelarate the concepts of
national culture and national art. Basically, it has been stated that the subjects of articles,
which were going to be published in Ulku Journal, shoul include national cultures and values.
Ulku Journal, with the values that the intellectuals transferred, was necessary for the public to
circulate a number of movements from inside to outside, like the blood in the body for the
values of the people, originated, created and preserved by the people and for the health of the
national life. A new national culture had to be merged by combining the values acquired from
the outside with the values originated from public. For this purpose, a prize competition has
been organized in the fields of literature, music, poetry, painting, sculpture and architecture.
One of the important cornerstones of Kemalism, considered a political and cultural program
of the new Turkish state, was Turkish folk culture along with western civilization, which had
a meaning of domination of science and thought. It has been aimed to reveal a synthesis of
western civilization and folk culture. In line with these aims, artists, especially painters, have
been included in a formation called "Halka Dogru (Towards Public)" which covers all the
cities of Anatolia. Some painters made temporary deductions from folk culture at the end of
this movement. Some painters like Bedri Rahmi has put effects of public art in the center of
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Yazmas’ Effect
On Turkish Painting Art
their artistic productions and in this direction, the artists have produced many art pieces and
educated many students.
Bedri Rahmi and his wife Eren, who went to Paris in 1950 have been inspired by the
local art exhibition, which is called the human museum, have said that he has embraced the
yazma works more tightly with this enthusiasm “We are embracing the yazma works with a
new enthusiasm. We benefit from the opportunities of this beautiful, traditional folk art. We
try to give its a new life, a new taste, with our own motives and modern understanding. We
learnt the technique from living artists. Yazma works fit the purpose of spreading of art and
reaching the masses.”
The Maya Gallery, directed by Adalet Cimcoz in 1950, aimed to connect the daily life
to artistic creativity with the opportunity of exhibition to young people who are considered as
pioneer artists of that time. Young artists have also exhibited their beautiful and useful works
in Maya gallery, which is suitable for the movement. The density of these works have been
consisted of the probations of yazma works of Bedri Rahmi. Yazma works have became
popular in the shortest time. (Yalman, 1951, Vatan Newspaper)
Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu have worked with his wife Eren Eyuboglu on the printing of
wood blocks on the fabric, along with his painting works until his death in 1975. During these
works, they made printings on the fabric with their own special designed blocks. They have
colourized their designs after printmaking.
In his interview with Yaşar Kemal, the artist has narrated that about yazma works:
“We understand that the destination of yazma works is factory but the initiatives in this
direction have not reached a conclusion. Yazma has became clothing and beach wear to
Istanbulite painting lover women and tablecloth and curtain to villas. Bedri Rahmi's
ornaments, which were not far from the plastic bases, were not included in the serial
production as a value. However, the distorted forms of these works have been used on
everyday materials such as clothes, ceramics and plastics. In 1955, he has complained that the
yazmas he has been working on for five years have not drawn attention, he has said, "palettes
are the places where painters will return". (Eyüboğlu, Resme Başlarken
, 1986, p, 213, 359.)
4. Discussion and Conclusion
Since 1957, Turkey’s art has established an environment for the application of wood block
printing technique, which is the art of yazma works and for the establishment of unique
printing workshops in educational institutions. Art students and masters working in these
workshops have benefited from this environment and have been in artistic productions. Bedri
Rahmi Eyuboglu has used yazma works most intensively in his paintings for 5 years, but at
the end of this time he has returned to the canvas painting. The main reason for this is the lack
of financial profit of the restricted painting market. He have not given up some basic features
of the yazma works’ techniques in his paintings. The colours, which he has used in the
colouring of the contoured painting elements, contain the contrast effect used in yazma works.
He has used the elements in the ornaments of the figures with inspiration from the motives of
the yazma works.
Along with the rapidly developing modernism of the 20th century, all the rules of art
have changed and the artists have experienced
new initiatives with original, creative, powerful