Bedri Rahmi Eyüboglu
Encyclopedia
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu was a Turkish
painter
and poet
.
Bedri Rahmi was born 1911 in Görele
on the Black Sea
. He was the second child of a family with five. His elder brother, Sabahattin Eyuboglu
, is a well-known writer and his younger sister, Mualla Eyüboğlu
, was one of the first architects working in restoration. She is well known for her work at the Harem section of Topkapı Palace
in Istanbul
.
Due to his father's position as a Governor, he lived in various parts of Turkey before attending high school in Trabzon
. He moved in 1929 to Istanbul to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul
.
He left the Academy temporarly in 1931 to study in France
with his brother. He learned French in Dijon
and later in Lyon
. Bedri Rahmi studied then at the Andre Lohte studio in Paris
, where he met his future wife, Ernestine Letoni.
Back in Turkey, he completed his studies and obtained his diploma in 1936. In 1937, he entered the Academy as an assistant and translator of Leopold Levy. Eyüpoğlu remained at the Academy until his death in 1975.
His first one-man-show was in Bucarest at the Hasefer Gallery in 1935. The exhibition was organized by his future wife Ernestine. They were married in Istanbul in 1936. Bedri Rahmi was a very prolific artist, he painted fresco
es at the "Lido restaurant" in Istanbul (1943), a large panel at the Ankara Opera House
(1946). He was sent by the government to Edirne
in 1938 and to Çorum
and Iskilip
in 1942. This was a turning point in his painting career.
He worked with mosaics and prepared a panel of 250 m² (2,691 sq ft) for the Brussels Fair in 1958, which brought him the first prize award. In 1960, he made a panel for NATO headquarters in Paris. This panel was transferred to the headquarters in Brussels when France left NATO.
Bedri Rahmi belonged to the D Group of painters, and founded the Group of 10 for young painters. Various mosaic panels can be found in Istanbul at hospitals or hotels. He also did a stained glass
window composition at the Embassy of Turkey in Bonn, Germany. In 1950(?), on a second trip to Paris he was extremely impressed with the Musée de l'Homme
exhibiting African art
. This is when he decided to use woodblock printing
in order to allow every one to have access to his work. He simplified his designs, had blocks prepared, and also had his students use this for printing. In 1960 he was ınvited to the United States on a Rockefeller
grant and a Ford Foundation
grant. He was also guest professor at the University of California, Berkeley
. One of his works is part of the collection of the Modern Art museum. His work can be found in various museums in the USA, Europe and Turkey.
Bedri Rahmi taught at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts
until his death on September 21, 1975 from Pancreatic cancer
. He is known to have been an excellent teacher, and many of Turkey's contemporary artists have praised him as a teacher. He was laid to resit at the Küçükyalı Cemetery in Istanbul.
, where he had a weekly art column from 1952-1958. His first poems were published in 1941, Yaradana mektup (Letter to the creator). His second book Karadut was published in 1948 (Black Mulberry). Other poetry books are as follows:
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Bedri Rahmi was born 1911 in Görele
Görele
Görele is a town and a district of Giresun Province on the Black Sea coast of eastern Turkey. The population is 16,033 as of 2010.-Etymology:The name derives from the Italian for coral as the Genoese named the area La Coralla.-Geography:...
on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. He was the second child of a family with five. His elder brother, Sabahattin Eyuboglu
Sabahattin Eyüboglu
Sabahattin Eyüboğlu was a Turkish writer, essayist, translator and film producer.- Biography :Sabahatttin Eyüboğlu was born in 1908 on the Black Sea coast town of Akçaabat near Trabzon...
, is a well-known writer and his younger sister, Mualla Eyüboğlu
Mualla Eyüboğlu
Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger was one of the first female architects of Turkey. She is known for her restoration work on the Topkapı Palace harem room and the Rumelihisarı in Istanbul.Eyüboğlu was born in 1919 in Aziziye, Erzurum...
, was one of the first architects working in restoration. She is well known for her work at the Harem section of Topkapı Palace
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Due to his father's position as a Governor, he lived in various parts of Turkey before attending high school in Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
. He moved in 1929 to Istanbul to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul
Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University is a Turkish state university dedicated to the higher education of fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighborhood of İstanbul, Turkey.-History:...
.
He left the Academy temporarly in 1931 to study in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with his brother. He learned French in Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
and later in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. Bedri Rahmi studied then at the Andre Lohte studio in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he met his future wife, Ernestine Letoni.
Back in Turkey, he completed his studies and obtained his diploma in 1936. In 1937, he entered the Academy as an assistant and translator of Leopold Levy. Eyüpoğlu remained at the Academy until his death in 1975.
His first one-man-show was in Bucarest at the Hasefer Gallery in 1935. The exhibition was organized by his future wife Ernestine. They were married in Istanbul in 1936. Bedri Rahmi was a very prolific artist, he painted fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es at the "Lido restaurant" in Istanbul (1943), a large panel at the Ankara Opera House
Ankara Opera House
Ankara Opera House of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet is the largest of the three venues for opera and ballet in Ankara, Turkey, the other two being Leyla Gencer Sahnesi in Ostim and Operet Sahnesi in Sıhhiye....
(1946). He was sent by the government to Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
in 1938 and to Çorum
Çorum
Çorum is a landlocked northern Anatolian city that is the capital of the Çorum Province of Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey, and is approximately from Ankara and from Istanbul...
and Iskilip
Iskilip
İskilip is a district of Çorum Province of Turkey, on the left bank of the River Kızılırmak, located at 56 km from the city of Çorum, 100 miles northeast of Ankara and 60 miles southeast of Kastamonu. It covers an area of 1,187 km², and the elevation is 2460 ft . Population is about 39,124 of...
in 1942. This was a turning point in his painting career.
He worked with mosaics and prepared a panel of 250 m² (2,691 sq ft) for the Brussels Fair in 1958, which brought him the first prize award. In 1960, he made a panel for NATO headquarters in Paris. This panel was transferred to the headquarters in Brussels when France left NATO.
Bedri Rahmi belonged to the D Group of painters, and founded the Group of 10 for young painters. Various mosaic panels can be found in Istanbul at hospitals or hotels. He also did a stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
window composition at the Embassy of Turkey in Bonn, Germany. In 1950(?), on a second trip to Paris he was extremely impressed with the Musée de l'Homme
Musée de l'Homme
The Musée de l'Homme was created in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne. It is the descendant of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878...
exhibiting African art
African art
African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of people, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture. The definition also includes the art of the African...
. This is when he decided to use woodblock printing
Woodblock printing
Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper....
in order to allow every one to have access to his work. He simplified his designs, had blocks prepared, and also had his students use this for printing. In 1960 he was ınvited to the United States on a Rockefeller
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
grant and a Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
grant. He was also guest professor at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. One of his works is part of the collection of the Modern Art museum. His work can be found in various museums in the USA, Europe and Turkey.
Bedri Rahmi taught at Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts
Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University is a Turkish state university dedicated to the higher education of fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighborhood of İstanbul, Turkey.-History:...
until his death on September 21, 1975 from Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. He is known to have been an excellent teacher, and many of Turkey's contemporary artists have praised him as a teacher. He was laid to resit at the Küçükyalı Cemetery in Istanbul.
Written works
Beside his work at the Academy of Fine Arts, Bedri Rahmi also had a writer career, writing in various literary reviews and in the newspaper CumhuriyetCumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet is a centre-left Turkish daily newspaper, founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. Based in Istanbul, it has been situated since October 17, 2005 in Mecidiyeköy. Cumhuriyet was the last newspaper to leave the old press district Cağaloğlu...
, where he had a weekly art column from 1952-1958. His first poems were published in 1941, Yaradana mektup (Letter to the creator). His second book Karadut was published in 1948 (Black Mulberry). Other poetry books are as follows:
- Tuz 1952
- Üçü Birden, 1953
- Dördü Birden, 1956
- Karadut 69, 1969
- Dol Karabakır Dol, 1974
- Yaşadım, 1977
- Tezek
External links
- Turkoloji.cu.edu.tr
- turkresmi.com
- Biography
- http://www.bedrirahmi.com
- http://www.eyubogluailesi.org
- http://www.eyubogullari.org/eb