Anadolu uygarlıklarında baskı sanatı

Abstract

ÖZET Çalışmamız, baskı sanatının başlangıcından bugüne dek tarihsel ve teknik gelişim açısından izlendiği, Anadolu'daki geleneksel baskı sanatı örneklerinin saptanarak son durumlarının belgelendiği ve sanatsal özgün baskıların Cumhuriyet dönemindeki gelişiminin ortaya konduğu toparlayıcı bir kaynak olma amacım taşımaktadır. Bu bilgilerin ışığında Anadolu Uygarlıklarının baskı sanatına yaptığı katkılar ortaya çıkacaktır. Amacımız gereği üç ana bölüm başlığı altında topladığımız çalışmamızın 1. Bölümünde baskı sanatım tarihsel bir çerçeve içinde ele aldık. Bu bölüm, baskı sanatının tarihsel gelişiminin ve Anadolu Uygar lı klan ndaki yerinin incelendiği iki alt bölümden oluşmaktadır. Baskı teknikleri ilk uygulandıkları dönemlerden itibaren kronolojik bir sıra izlenerek verilmeye çalışılmış, toplumların birbirine yaptıkları etkiler ışığında ortaya çıkan sonuçlar değerlendirilmiştir. 2. Bölümde Anadolu'nun geleneksel baskı sanatları kapsamındaki mühürcülük, yazmacılık, deri ciltçilik ve taş baskı sanatları, alt bölümler halinde düzenlenerek incelenmiştir. Geleneksel baskı sanatlarını uygulayan son ustalarla görüşülmüş, bilgiler alınmış ve belgelenmeleri sağlanmıştır. Özgün baskının incelendiği 3. Bölümün alt bölümlerinde ise özgün baskı tekniklerinin açıklaması yapılmış ve özgün baskının Cumhuriyet dönemindeki gelişimi anlatılmıştır.

SUMMARY The aim of the study named `Print Arts in Anatolian Civilizations` is to gather the print technics according to the historical dimensions both in Anatolia and the world, from the beginning till today. Print technics and original prints have been the subjets of several studies separately. Here we intend to collect them altogether to explain the historical and technical development with examples and to show the main part of Anatolia for the subject. The work has been organised in three main chapters. Chapter 1 named `Print Art` examines the historical development of prints generally, both in the world and in Anatolian Civilizations. The main principle of the print art is using blocks. These blocks are generally made of hard materials like wood, metal or stone. The artist carves or engraves the designs on blocks with special tools. When this work is completed, edding some colour on it, the block could be pressed on paper, cloth or any other material. So the impressions of designs can be seen on surface. As it is the first principle of print, we should tell that the first printing blocks used in history are the human hands which have been plunged into the blood of hunted animals and then pressed on cave walls by prehistoric artists. Then about 7000-5600 B.C. we meet some Neolithic settlements in Anatolia. As we examine the print art in three sections according to the main technics which are relief, intaglio and plain, the first relief blocks are belong vito those Neolithic Anatolian settlements. Çatal Hüyük is the biggest one on central Anatolia near the Konya plain where a lot of clay blocks carved in relief have been found during the archaeological excavations. Hittite seals, Egyptian scarabets and Mesopotamian stone cylinder seals are also the first examples of block printing. After the development of trade in Mesopotamia, tradesmen went to Anatolia and some other regions nearby. They exchanged cultures as well as the goods. They used some seals bearing special symbols on them to guarantee the properties. Later, these symbols returned to some signs known as the first writing. The typical form of Anatolian seals is stamp. Hittites who have established a great civilization on Anatolian land, also used stamp seals. But in Mesopotamia people created cylinder form which was easy to roll on clay tablets as there was plenty of clay around. Seals had been used as signatures by the inhabitants of ancient Anatolia and the Near East. On the other hand, print technics developed also in Far East. Block printing spread all over the world by the trade roads. Before the invention of paper, or we should say before the reach of paper to Europe because it was already invented in China in 105 B.C., earliest European examples had been printed on clothes with wooden blocks dated about 1350 B.C. When Italian tradesmen brought the recipe of paper making, wooden blocks also used for printing on paper. Along 14th and 15th centuries, they printed religious paintings on religious leaflets and books in Europe. When the time passed by, the artists who kept producing the arts of print with wooden blocks, searched for another block material which can bear more detailed works. They kept an eye on metal engraving vnjewellers and soon started to engrave metal plates for their print paintings. Intaglio technics used for engraving metals were completely opposite of relief wood carving methods. The artists and engravers such as Martin Schongauer and Albrech Dürer produced masterpieces on small metal surfaces. Stencil printing has been founded in Far East and it is also known as silk screen printing because of the silk used as a printing block instead of wood blocks or metal plates. Stencil printing is a plain print technic like litography. Litographic printings are taken off from the surface of a special stone block. Lithography has been founded by a German, Alois Senefelder in 1796. In Anatolia, inhabitants used many print technics beginning from the Neolithic age till today. First examples of carved blocks found in Çatal Hüyük bear geometrical designs on and same designs still can be seen on Anatolian carpets and kilims today. Then came the Hittites around 2nd millennium B.C. as the first state civilization of Anatolia. They produced wonderful seals for their kings and queens as well as the other works of art such as rock monuments. The Kingdom of Urartu settled down around Lake Van in eastern Anatolia in 9th and 6th centuries B.C. Living on Anatolian land but being near to Mesopotamia, they created a very special seal form which was a perfect mixture of Anatolian and Mesopotamian traditions: Stamp-cylinder seal. Around 8th and 6th centuries, two rich kingdoms called Phyrygia and Lydia took their part in western Anatolia producing seals of precious stones, gold and silver attached on rings to wear on fingers. Lydians also have a very special part in the history of mankind as the founders of money. vmWhen the Greeks came along the shores of west Anatolia known as Ionia, they settled down and arranged their towns. They also used seals in the shape of amulets and rings. Then came the Persians, Alexander the Great and Romans. Precious seals, gemstones and cameos had been produced by the Hellenistic and Roman artists. Finally Turks came from central Asia and organised two great Empires as Seljuk and Ottoman in Anatolia. Yazma (printed clothes), seals, lithografic paintings and leather skin book covers can be mentioned among their printed products. Turkish Republic artists took over the rich inheritance of Anatolia and shaped it into today's modern original prints. Traditional Print Arts of Anatolia are examined in Chapter 2 separately as seals, yazmas, lithographic paintings and leather skin book covers. Anatolian seals tell their story beginning from Neolithic age to the Ottomans including Hittite seals also with detailed examples. Beautifully decorated Ottoman seals bear skilful! engraved decorations with Arabic letters on small surfaces of gold or silver. `Yazma` is a special kind of printed cloth. Colourful decorations mostly applied on special kind of thin clothes with wooden blocks carved in relief. A soft tree like boxwood should be chosen for carving print blocks. Today there are only a few traditional craftsmen left who continue the work and we could get in touch with two of them to document their work for the future. As for the leather skin book covers, we also made an interwiev with a master who teaches at the university. Meanwhile, print technics on leather skins and some examples from Seljuks and IXOttomans are examined. Litographic paintings are also included in traditional arts. They have been printed on popular story books from the end of Ottoman era till 1950. These childish paintings aimed to support the stories visually. The subject of Chapter 3 is original prints. Original prints are considered as a branch of painting today. Relief, intaglio and plain (surface) prints are examined tecnically in details including the descriptions of different methods. The development of original prints in Turkish Republic Era can be followed from the time of Hoca Ali Rıza, that means the end of Ottoman Era. He was a master painter who has left us lots of litographic prints. He was also used to work at military schools as a teacher of art. The story of development continues with the works of contemporary print artists in Turkey. Here we tried to choose the leading personalities who work as craftsmen as well as artist.