In This Feature
Osman Hamdi Bey
by
findingDulcinea Staff
At the end of the 19th century a Turkish-born, French-educated lawyer turned painter revitalized Turkish fine art through publications and paintings, and established a museum honoring both the past and the future of the Ottoman traditions and its connections to its eastern and western neighbors.
A New Beginning
Osman Hamdi Bey (“bey” is a title of respect, similar to “esquire” in English) lived at the nexus of transformation in Turkey. Active from the 1860s, he was educated and influenced by European artists, but maintained an allegiance to the culture of his birthplace. He used this worldly intellect to become a talented painter whose work has fetched over $3 million at auction. Leaning on the styles of his European teachers (chiefly Jean Léon Gérôme, with whom he studied in Paris from 1860-69), Hamdi Bey returned to Istanbul to use the realist techniques of the Orientalists to render his own culture and traditions on canvas.
But this Ottoman renaissance didn’t end with his own art: Hamdi Bey went on to build the Archaeology Museum of Istanbul. He also used the relatively new medium of photography to create albums of himself and other subjects in traditional Turkish costume—another way of preserving quintessential Ottoman culture.
But this Ottoman renaissance didn’t end with his own art: Hamdi Bey went on to build the Archaeology Museum of Istanbul. He also used the relatively new medium of photography to create albums of himself and other subjects in traditional Turkish costume—another way of preserving quintessential Ottoman culture.
Background & Context
Hamdi’s work was as connected to the Ottoman past, one of imperial rule and Islamic culture, as much as it looked forward to innovations and trends, borrowing and learning with greater reach from other nations. The Web site TheOttomans.org is a fantastic resource; its synopsis of 19th-century developments runs eight pages.
Source: TheOttomans.org
For a better understanding of Ottoman art and other aspects of culture, explore this section.
As TheOttomans.org explains, Turkish art involved many media: rugs, tapestries, architecture, embroidery, mosaics, ceramics, as well as painting and sculpture. Hamdi Bey’s paintings reflected this variety; they were always set in lavishly decorated environments adorned with colorful mosaics, floor tiles, rugs, costumes, and calligraphy.
As TheOttomans.org explains, Turkish art involved many media: rugs, tapestries, architecture, embroidery, mosaics, ceramics, as well as painting and sculpture. Hamdi Bey’s paintings reflected this variety; they were always set in lavishly decorated environments adorned with colorful mosaics, floor tiles, rugs, costumes, and calligraphy.
All About Turkey
For a better understanding of Turkish art before and after Hamdi Bey, visit the “Turkish arts” page of All About Turkey.
The Houses of Art
For more background on Turkish museums, some of which Hamdi Bey helped promote and renovate, read the Skylife magazine article on Turkish museums at the 75th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, written by a Turkish archaeologist and art historian.
Source: Skylife Magazine
The Turkish virtual museum below gives us a free lesson on Hamdi Bey’s paintings, which may be his greatest creative contribution to Ottoman art. The article shows us great photos of many of his best works and analyzes recurring themes, symbols, and techniques.
Source: Eczacibasi Virtual Museum
Browse a Turkish resident’s photo collection of the Archaeological Museum. Osman Hamdi Bey was chiefly responsible for its makeover in the 1880s.
Source: PBase
The House of Archaeology
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism explains the history of the Archaeological Museum and how Hamdi Bey contributed to its development. The design of the old building reflected old Turkish archaeology as well as the neoclassical influences seen farther west in Europe.
Source: Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism
The New York Times guides us through the highlights of the Archaeology Museum’s history and design, as well as its collection, in its Istanbul travel section. For prospective visitors to the city, this is a good reference for the contact information and location of the museum.
Source: The New York Times
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
