Cengiz Gücük

Who is Cengiz Gücük? (1942-Istanbul)

Born in Istanbul in 1942, Cengiz Gücük graduated from the Decorative Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Marmara University in 1964-65 and went to Germany for an internship in 1965 and started working as a restorer at the Ulm Cathedral. The artist, who stated that the work here taught him to be patient, careful and to use the concept of time in the best way possible, also expressed how important respect for culture is. During his time in Germany between 1969-74, he greatly admired Prof. Ernst Fuchs, one of the founders of “Fantastic Realism”, and had the opportunity to work with him, albeit briefly. In 1971, he won the “Young Painters Award” in the state of Baden Württemberg in Germany, his works were exhibited at the Ulm Museum in 1973 and he returned to Turkey in 1974.

Art Perspective;

In his works, Gücük uses certain symbols to indicate the starting point, and focuses on Hittite Sun Discs and Turkish motifs. Our artist, who particularly emphasizes that he prefers to use motifs from our own culture, also states that there is nothing more natural than using what belongs to us.
All of these symbols used by the artist are used to emphasize “time, the journey in time”. We can see the reflection of the Hittite Sun Discs, where snails and spirals express eternity, and the journey in time in his paintings.
He bases his works on two main themes, figurative and ornamental (where some forms are used abstractly) oil painting techniques.

My concern is “time”. Thinking about what time is and when it begins both tires me and interests me a lot. It is not easy to complete the journey within us. Emotions, excitements, feelings, and ways of perceiving life have always changed over time. We have to return to ourselves and find our essence. We have a deep loneliness. This sadness, helplessness and unhappiness must have been reflected in the figurative works. Finally, what I want to express is that by creating certain associations with the symbols or icons I use in my paintings, I ensure that they open a door in their own world for the viewers. That is why I aim to perceive certain emotions through associations by giving small clues in my paintings.