Speaking at the panel within the scope of the 8th Traditional Painting and Sculpture Exhibition held at the Zafer Bazaar Fine Arts Gallery in memory of the Village Institutes, Prof. Dr. Hasan Pekmezci explained the foundations of his art that bears the traces of his institute years.
Village Institutes, which left their mark on Turkey's educational history, were not just schools, but also homes of enlightenment that blended soil, art and thought. One of the living witnesses of this unique educational model, painter and academician Prof. Dr. Hasan Pekmezci is one of the values that still bear the traces of his institute years in his art. The Village Institutes system, which blended art, thought and labor, raised not only teachers but also individuals who carried the spirit of the society. Pekmezci, who grew up in that atmosphere, recounted the education system of the period with his memories as one of the names that carried the light of the past to the present.
The living witness of the Village Institutes:
In the early period of the Republic, an educational project that sprouted in the poor but hopeful lands of Anatolia changed both the people and the fate of the country: Village Institutes. Founded on April 17, 1940, these institutes not only turned village children into teachers, but also raised them as producers, artists and thinkers.
The education-in-work model was at the core of this groundbreaking education system. Students worked in the fields and workshops in the mornings, and took literature, philosophy, mathematics and art courses in the afternoons. Each student could play at least one instrument, write and stage a stage play, and build structures with basic engineering knowledge.
One of the witnesses of this revolutionary approach is Çifteler Village Institute graduate Prof. Dr. Hasan Pekmezci, who is one of the important representatives of that school and guides the art community. Pekmezci’s success story that has reached today is a living example of how effective this education model is. Pekmezci, who adopted art not only as an academic career but also as a way of life, still brings Anatolia, the village, labor and production into his paintings today.
Prof. Dr. Hasan Pekmezci; “When something is lived in, it is assimilated”
Pekmezci, one of the leading painters and art academics of Turkey today, says that his interest in art blossomed in those years. “When something is lived in, it is assimilated. The knowledge gained by reading and hearing is superficial and shallow. Entering it, breathing that atmosphere, knowing the tradition, living the rituals is a separate education. I am one of those who breathed that education, that atmosphere. They taught us not only to paint there, but also to observe nature, to think and to question,” he said.
Pekmezci, who stated that when he arrived from his village on a three-day bus journey, his aim was not only to learn but also to live, says that the person who first instilled this awareness in him was his music teacher. Pekmezci, who stated that he learned to account for himself by writing down every day in a diary in 1957-58, while still a child, said, “I am giving an account of why I live. I have been keeping a diary for years and noting down whatever I learned, did, and experienced that day. Because these are the things I was taught.”
“Village Institutes were living organisms”
Drawing attention to a little-known aspect of Village Institutes, Pekmezci said, “Village Institutes were living organisms. Every step was calculated for why and how. New opportunities were sought, and guidance was provided according to the talents of each individual. This system was not only educational, but also a cultural reform. Although Village Institutes became official in 1940, their foundations date back to 1937. In line with the needs arising from within the system, ‘High Village Institutes’ were established and special education models were created for students who excelled in different areas. Students who were especially talented in art were supported by painting and music seminars opened at the Istanbul Teachers’ School in 1947. These seminars later formed the foundation stones of the Gazi Education Institute.”
“Those who grew up in those schools carry the aroma of that culture”
Pekmezci stated that he was shaped as both an artist and a thinker thanks to the cultural aroma that this atmosphere gave him, and said, “Those who grew up in those schools carry the aroma of that culture. The reason why Village Institutes are still talked about today and why they left deep marks despite their short life is because they were built on solid foundations, just like the Republic.”
Source: https://www.24saatgazetesi.com/bir-kultur-devriminin-tanigi-prof-dr-hasan-pekmezci-ve-koy-enstitulerinde-sanat