Surrendered to the Moment

Dear art seekers, 

You might be feeling like this sleep deprived cat at the start of this week (fig.1).

fig.1 Very sleepy cat in Istanbul

But before you embark on your day, brew a cup of coffee and keep reading.

Today’s artist and theorist is yet another Turkish gem that I stumbled upon at the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. 

Nurullah Berk (1906-1982) was one of the first artists of the Republican Generation. Like many notable Turkish artists, Berk went to Paris to continue his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Upon returning in 1933, he became one of the founders of a society of artists that promoted independent thought and modernist ideals, under the name of the D group. The D group rejected the friendly naturalism and docile Impressionism of the older generation. Instead, they adhered to a Cubist Constructivist approach to painting.

Through his paintings, Berk tried to capture Turkish aesthetics through abstraction, in combination with patterns taken from folk traditions in Turkey. His works from the early 1930’s incline towards cubism. However, in the 1940's and 50’s he turned towards a Cézannesque plastic construction, with a focus on local figures such as potters, rug weavers, hookah smokers, and women ironing. 

In his later work, such as in Sleeping Beauty (1973) (fig.2) Berk’s work became a bit flatter. He adopts a very geometric approach while always separating his blocks of color with a thick contour line. His style of expression was heavily influenced by his mentor in Paris, André Lhote. What is quite interesting about Sleeping Beauty (1973) is the depiction of objects such as rugs, pillows, and curtains without any perspective, rendering them completely abstract.

fig.2 Sleeping Beauty, 1973, Oil on canvas, 81 x 130,5 cm

Another painting of his at the museum is Woman Knitting (1981) (fig.3) which was created just a year before he passed away. I wonder if that is the reason behind it looking less polished and unfinished. Notice how the right side of the painting doesn’t have much contouring? However, that is an aspect that I enjoy about this painting. In both paintings, Berk focuses on female figures and structural patterns.

fig.3 Woman Knitting, 1981, Oil on canvas, 116 x 89 cm

As an admirer of simple observational painting, these two paintings stood out to me in the vast sea of the museum. Their figures are surrendered to the moment of being, something we often forget to do.

Have a wonderful week full of art and inspiration and please don’t forget to share this with fellow art seekers!

Sincerely,

Rebecca