The light of a generation falling on canvas will shine again at the Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum...
The exhibition "The 1914 Generation: Painters We Know," featuring approximately 200 works, will open to the public on September 26th at the Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum, revealing one of the most productive periods in our art history.
Sometimes they appear in the light falling on an Istanbul landscape, sometimes in the vast fields of Anatolia, and sometimes in the pensive gaze of a portrait… The painters of the 1914 Generation, who left indelible marks on the memory of Turkish painting, are now reunited under the same roof in Beyoğlu.
The Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum's new temporary exhibition, "The 1914 Generation: Painters We Know," opens its doors on Saturday, September 26th. Curated by Prof. Dr. Gül İrepoğlu, the exhibition brings together approximately 200 works selected from the Türkiye İş Bankası and Arkas collections.
At the heart of the exhibition are young painters who, after receiving their initial art education in Istanbul at the beginning of the 20th century, were sent to Paris to study painting. Returning home in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, these artists blended the new approaches they encountered in the West with the light, people, and daily life of their own geography. Thus, they not only produced new paintings but also pioneered the development of artistic taste in Turkey and the wider discussion of visual arts.
Different brushes looking at the same sky
The leading representatives of this generation—İbrahim Çallı, Feyhaman Duran, Namık İsmail, Sami Yetik, Ali Sami Boyar, Hüseyin Avni Lifij, Mehmed Ruhi Arel, Nazmi Ziya Güran, and Hikmet Onat—despite creating different worlds, they were united by a common desire for change.
During their years in Paris, moving away from the academic understanding of the time and approaching the Impressionist exploration of light and color, each of these painters transformed this experience into a unique style. They participated in exhibitions in Istanbul and Ankara, depicted different corners of Anatolia on their canvases, wrote articles on art, and passed on their influence to subsequent generations through the students they trained.
Gül İrepoğlu describes the transformation created by this generation as follows:
“During their time in Paris, the 1914 Generation painters found Impressionism, which was no longer considered a novelty at the time, appealing to them, replacing the existing academic approaches. Each of them developed their own unique style in this new light. By participating in numerous exhibitions in Istanbul and Ankara, reflecting various regions of Anatolia in their works, and writing articles, they played a significant role in the discussion of visual arts in society, the formation of the concept of art appreciation, and the art education of subsequent generations.”
From Masters to Students
The exhibition does not limit itself to describing the 1914 Generation through only a few famous painters and masterpieces. It also makes visible who the artists drew inspiration from, who they shared the same period with, and how they influenced those who came after them.
The journey begins with the works of the masters of the generation. Then, the artists' works are presented to the viewer according to their themes. The "Sharing Time" section features painters who produced works during the same years, while the "Garden of a Thousand and One Sprouts" section focuses on the masters' students and the new paths they forged.
This structure transforms the intergenerational connection in Turkish painting into a vibrant narrative. It is possible to follow step by step how the inspiration given by one master finds a new language in the brush of another painter.
Paintings that remain in memory
The exhibition begins with a strong selection of works by Fernand Cormon, one of the masters of the generation, titled "Waiting," and continues with İbrahim Çallı's "Woman Smelling a Rose," Feyhaman Duran's "Girl in Blue Trousers," and Namık İsmail's "Harvest."
Hikmet Onat's "Landscape-Ortaköy," the first work in the Türkiye İş Bankası Art Collection, is also among the striking works in the exhibition. Nazmi Ziya's nature scenes that pursue the light, Avni Lifij's mysterious and emotional compositions, Ali Sami Boyar's heartfelt paintings, and Sami Yetik and Ruhi Arel's landscapes take the visitor on a visual journey through different eras.
Among the paintings
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive book prepared by Gül İrepoğlu. Bringing together works from the Türkiye İş Bankası and Arkas collections with period photographs, the publication explores the artistic journey of the generation from different perspectives.
In one of the book's most interesting sections, the painters' journeys to Paris are brought to life through short stories structured with dialogues. Thus, the artists appear not only as important figures in art history, but also as young people with dreams, excitements, struggles, and quests.
In the memory of Beyoğlu
"The 1914 Generation: Painters We Know," prepared by İş Sanat in collaboration with Arkas Sanat, can be seen on the second and third floors of the Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum until July 12, 2027.
Located in the historic Baudouy Apartment building on Istiklal Street, the museum is a structure that has witnessed the stories of families, businesses, and for many years, the Beyoğlu Branch of Türkiye İş Bankası. Since October 29, 2023, it has been carrying the city's artistic memory into the future.
The museum can be visited from Tuesday to Friday between 10:00 and 19:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays between 12:00 and 19:00. For those who want to closely observe the light, color, and shared spirit of an era, a long-lasting art gathering is beginning in Beyoğlu.
Source: https://www.ekonomim.com/amp/yasam-keyfi/bir-kusagin-tuvale-dusen-isigi-beyoglunda-yeniden-parlayacak-haberi-913742