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 Turkish Decorative Arts: The decorative arts, which were brought from Central Asia to Anatolia, achieved importance in the Seljuk and Ottoman eras, and reached the Republic era with an accumulation throughout the centuries. A department of Turkish Decorative Arts was established at the State Academy of Fine Arts in 1936, and training commenced in gilding, calligraphy, marbling, miniatures and tile design. |
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At present, branch education in decorative arts is being carried out in three universities in İstanbul and İzmir (Mimar Sinan, Marmara and 9 Eylül Universities). Besides, the General Directorate of Fine Arts, affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, organizes many activities to keep the traditional Turkish decorative arts alive. Under the Turkish Decorative Arts Exhibition organized biannually since 1981 to motivate artists in this area to develop a contemporary synthesis harmonious with today’s sense of art, and also to display their latest creations, the 14th Calligraphy Contest, Illumination Contest, Marbling Contest, Miniature Contest |
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A sample of marbling |
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and Glazed Tile (Çini) Design Contest will be held in 2007. Award-winning works and those found worthy of exhibition will be shown in Ankara in June 2007. |
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| The Turkish Ornament Arts Exhibition included in the collection of the Ministry was displayed in the Oman Palace on January 19-22, 2006 and in Bangladesh on March 1-31, 2006 as part of the 12th Asia Art Biennial. |
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| Turkish Handicrafts: The cultures of a great many civilizations which once existed in Anatolia continued to survive in a new synthesis following the settling of the Turks. Hence the roots of Turkish handicrafts are quite deep-rooted and are of great socio-cultural importance. |
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The main handicrafts that have endured up to the present with the support of formal and informal educational institutions, as well as public and private organizations and interested individuals are as follows; weaving arts (fabrics, carpets, rugs, ground clothes, sumac, felt), embroidery (needle embroidery, silver gilt), knitting (pinking and lace, beading, crocheting, tatting), metalwork (jewellery, glassware), woodcarving, stone-carving (jet, marble and meerschaum), decorative dolls and leather art. |
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Calligraphy: In general, skilled handwriting involving Arabian letters comes to mind when calligraphy is mentioned. This art has evolved following a lengthy development of Arabic letters which took place between the 6th and the 10th centuries. |
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| Turks became interested in calligraphy after they arrived in Anatolia and experienced their brightest period in this field during the Ottoman era. The style and approach of Sheik Hamdullah, who is regarded as the founder of the Turkish art of calligraphy, endured until the 17th century. Hafız Osman (1642-1698) bestowed the Arabian script its most mature form in terms of aesthetics and all of the calligraphers from that time on were his followers. |
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