Nazmi Çekli

Retirement and Settlement in İzmir;
Nazmi Çekli retired from the army in 1931 with the rank of major and settled in İzmir. Following his retirement, between 1931 and 1941, he worked as a molding specialist at the İzmir Eşrefpaşa Venereal Diseases Hospital. During this period, he intensified his artistic endeavors, continuing his painting production and becoming known as an active artist in the İzmir art scene.

Nazmi Çekli passed away in 1958. His landscape paintings and artistic activities left a significant mark on the history of Turkish painting.

İzmir Economic Congress Exhibition;
One of the most important events in Nazmi Çekli's artistic life was his solo exhibition held during the İzmir Economic Congress. The artist's painting exhibition during this congress attracted great attention, and the exhibition was also visited by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The exhibition was highly appreciated by Atatürk, and the artist was honored with a silver medal. The war-themed composition titled "The Great Parade in Çalda," included in the exhibition, was admired by Atatürk and purchased for Çankaya Palace. Some of the works from this exhibition were displayed at the İzmir Fair for a long time. This event marked a significant turning point in Nazmi Çekli's artistic career.

Art Institutions and Exhibitions;
Nazmi Çekli was a member of the Military Painters Association, an important art community in Turkish painting. He regularly participated in the association's annual exhibitions and contributed to these events with his works. He is considered one of the first painters to live and actively produce art in İzmir during the Republican era.

Artistic Approach;
Nazmi Çekli's artistic approach largely reflects Impressionist tendencies. The artist attempted to reflect the effects of light, atmosphere, and color changes of nature in his paintings.
Landscape and Scenery Paintings;
The artist is particularly known for his landscape paintings. The subjects he frequently addresses in his paintings are:
• nature landscapes
• Istanbul views
• sea and coastal landscapes
• sunset scenes
These paintings are works aimed at reflecting the atmosphere and light effects of nature. Technical characteristics;
Nazmi Çekli emphasized the following features in his paintings:
• intense and thick paint usage
• strong tonality
• balance of light and shadow
• distinct color effects. The artist worked with both watercolor and oil painting techniques.

His works;
Nazmi Çekli's works mostly consist of landscape and scenery subjects. One of the artist's well-known works is the war-themed painting "The Great Parade in Çalda". Apart from this, nature landscapes and Istanbul views hold an important place in the artist's paintings.

His Place in Turkish Painting;
Nazmi Çekli, as one of the first painters living and producing art in İzmir during the Republican era, holds an important place in the history of Turkish painting. The characteristics that make his art significant are:
• Contributing to the development of art activities in İzmir in the early years of the Republic
• Contributing to the inclusion of art in the public sphere with the exhibition he opened during the İzmir Economic Congress
• Producing landscape paintings with Impressionist techniques
• Being part of the generation of painters with military backgrounds
Thanks to these characteristics, Nazmi Çekli is considered one of the important representatives of early Republican Turkish painting.