New twist on the art of illumination
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 27, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - Pioneering artist Özlem Özarı, the first person who opened an illumination atelier in İzmir, is creating a modern interpretation of the classical Ottoman art of illumination. She says this art is no longer popular and her goal is to pass it to the next generations
In her İzmir atelier, Özlem Özarı is reinterpreting the centuries-old Ottoman art of illumination in a very modern way, combining classical methods with her studies in color theory in the United States.
Özarı began her painting education at the age of 15. A painting teacher introduced her to the art of illumination, known as tezhip in Turkish, while she was still in school. After graduating from the Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts, Özarı enrolled in color and design courses in the United States, then returned to Turkey, where she now works in İzmir’s historic Kızlarağası Khan.
First in İzmir
"I am the first person to open an illumination atelier in İzmir. Before, I used to work at home and display my works in exhibitions," Özarı said. "My goal is to pass the old Turkish art of illumination to the next generations. I have been working here for nearly two years and advise all people who set their hearts on this art to work in an atelier."
Saying that the art of illumination was no longer very popular, Özarı said its best examples should be introduced in national and international exhibitions. "This is our art and working on it gives me a great pleasure," she said. "I go beyond the classical illumination and try to create contemporary works that use the classical method but interpret the colors in a different way. Because of the color theory classes I took in the U.S., I can use very lively and different colors. My goal is to give a hand to the next generations who will practice this art."
Original examples are kept in Süleymaniye Library
Özarı said many original examples of illumination, calligraphy and miniature art can be found in the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul, and that the general Directorate of Foundations calls her atelier to work on the restoration of some mosques and old buildings as well as imperial orders and hand-written works.
To date, Özarı has displayed her work in four solo and 10 group exhibitions, recently opening her first exhibition in Bodrum. "I have also participated in a British-Turkish culture exhibition as part of the 700th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire," she said. "I restored Koran pages and explicated some texts that have been exhibited at the Faculty of Theology and drew much attention abroad. My works were also on view at the Greenhills Gallery in Tennessee, and people admired them when they saw what could be done with a brush."
The roots of the art of illumination date back to the Uygur Turks, Özarı said, adding that it had been performed by muralists during Ottoman times and used particularly for Koran pages, imperial orders and the sultans’ signatures.
"I want to introduce this old Turkish art abroad," she said. "I plan to open exhibits in Arab countries. I think the Arabs will show especially great interest in the illuminated Ottoman texts."
WHAT IS ART OF ILLUMINATION?
"Tezhip" is an Arabic word meaning "ornamenting with gold." In the Ottoman-Turkish art of illumination, these ornaments either surrounded the text as a frame or appeared within the text as triangle or rectangular forms. In a book, there might be a few spots where ornamentation fills the entire page, without any accompanying text.
With the introduction of the printing press in the 17th century, the demand for illuminated manuscripts lessened and artists mostly switched to producing illuminated plates. In the 18th century, new ornamental motifs were introduced, including naturalistic, three-dimensional floral designs that carried the influence of Western art. The 19th century saw the addition of a vast variety of motifs, with European baroque, rococo and art nouveau styles adopted by Ottoman illumination artists. Both regular people and the ruling elites in the Ottoman Empire were eager to continue the tradition of illuminating religious texts, not only in book form, such as illuminated Korans, but also on plates that adorned and sanctified their homes and workplaces.
Özarı began her painting education at the age of 15. A painting teacher introduced her to the art of illumination, known as tezhip in Turkish, while she was still in school. After graduating from the Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts, Özarı enrolled in color and design courses in the United States, then returned to Turkey, where she now works in İzmir’s historic Kızlarağası Khan.
First in İzmir
"I am the first person to open an illumination atelier in İzmir. Before, I used to work at home and display my works in exhibitions," Özarı said. "My goal is to pass the old Turkish art of illumination to the next generations. I have been working here for nearly two years and advise all people who set their hearts on this art to work in an atelier."
Saying that the art of illumination was no longer very popular, Özarı said its best examples should be introduced in national and international exhibitions. "This is our art and working on it gives me a great pleasure," she said. "I go beyond the classical illumination and try to create contemporary works that use the classical method but interpret the colors in a different way. Because of the color theory classes I took in the U.S., I can use very lively and different colors. My goal is to give a hand to the next generations who will practice this art."
Original examples are kept in Süleymaniye Library
Özarı said many original examples of illumination, calligraphy and miniature art can be found in the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul, and that the general Directorate of Foundations calls her atelier to work on the restoration of some mosques and old buildings as well as imperial orders and hand-written works.
To date, Özarı has displayed her work in four solo and 10 group exhibitions, recently opening her first exhibition in Bodrum. "I have also participated in a British-Turkish culture exhibition as part of the 700th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire," she said. "I restored Koran pages and explicated some texts that have been exhibited at the Faculty of Theology and drew much attention abroad. My works were also on view at the Greenhills Gallery in Tennessee, and people admired them when they saw what could be done with a brush."
The roots of the art of illumination date back to the Uygur Turks, Özarı said, adding that it had been performed by muralists during Ottoman times and used particularly for Koran pages, imperial orders and the sultans’ signatures.
"I want to introduce this old Turkish art abroad," she said. "I plan to open exhibits in Arab countries. I think the Arabs will show especially great interest in the illuminated Ottoman texts."
WHAT IS ART OF ILLUMINATION?
"Tezhip" is an Arabic word meaning "ornamenting with gold." In the Ottoman-Turkish art of illumination, these ornaments either surrounded the text as a frame or appeared within the text as triangle or rectangular forms. In a book, there might be a few spots where ornamentation fills the entire page, without any accompanying text.
With the introduction of the printing press in the 17th century, the demand for illuminated manuscripts lessened and artists mostly switched to producing illuminated plates. In the 18th century, new ornamental motifs were introduced, including naturalistic, three-dimensional floral designs that carried the influence of Western art. The 19th century saw the addition of a vast variety of motifs, with European baroque, rococo and art nouveau styles adopted by Ottoman illumination artists. Both regular people and the ruling elites in the Ottoman Empire were eager to continue the tradition of illuminating religious texts, not only in book form, such as illuminated Korans, but also on plates that adorned and sanctified their homes and workplaces.