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Eyüboğlu remembered towards centennial
“He spent that period of his life in a most beneficial way,” says Sema Olcay, artistic director of the Artium Art Gallery, which brought together the “Towards a Century” exhibition. “In a very short time, he grasped the artistic trends in Europe, visited all the museums and encountered the contemporary art scene in Europe. This was a serious effort for two years.”
In Eyüboğlu’s first works after his return from Europe, the influence of artists such as Van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse and Dufy is clearly visible. For Eyüboğlu, the period he spent in Europe had consequences that were not only artistic -- a friendship formed through art turned into love and eventually a lifelong marriage. Visiting art galleries together, love blossomed between Eyüboğlu and Ernestine Letoni, who was also an artist; she later became Eyüboğlu’s wife and relocated to İstanbul with her husband, taking the Turkish name Eren.
“My grandfather always used to say the same thing,” recalls Rahmi Eyüboğlu, the artist’s grandson, in an interview with Today’s Zaman. “He used to say that Eren was an artist from birth, but that he himself became an artist by working.”
“In 1934, he took the graduation exams, but he came in third, and he didn’t accept this grade,” Olcay says, indicating Eyüboğlu’s real passion and ambition toward arts. “He then retook the exam in 1936, and this time he came in first.”
Reflecting the multidimensionality of his personality and experience, Eyüboğlu constantly searched for new techniques and never stopped experimenting with new styles. “Bedri Rahmi never ceased being influenced by innovations, and he conducted research until the day he died. Both in terms of technique and style, he always tried new things,” says Olcay.
In Eyüboğlu’s works of art, particularly in his paintings, Anatolian motifs come together with the abstract conception of the West. While keeping up with contemporary movements in the Western art world, he never lost touch with what was going on in his own country. “His most important source [of inspiration] was Anatolia, and any kind of acquisition of Anatolia,” notes Olcay. “And as an artist working in Europe and the United States, he was always proud of representing his country and society abroad.”
It is quite important to note that both developments in Turkey and the events of Eyüboğlu’s own life had a direct influence on his art. Following a tour to Çorum during his early years as part of a program organized by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the influence of Anatolia showed itself more clearly in his works, whereas after the 1960s, Eyüboğlu preferred to create more abstract works.
Eyüboğlu’s grandson was lucky enough to spend his childhood with his grandfather. “He used to work a lot,” he recalls. “He used to paint, write, make mosaics, teach. ... and still, I used to spend a lot of time with him. … He produced so many works that it is hard for people to believe in the amount of work he created. He produced incessantly for more than 50 years.”
Rahmi Eyüboğlu explains why, despite growing up near such an artistic influence, he did not become an artist. “My grandmother told me never ever to become an artist. I took her advice. But when I started to help my father in work, I regretted it very much,” he says.
The current exhibition, which runs through Sunday, comes as part of a series of projects organized by the Eyüboğlu family on the occasion of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The Eyüboğlu family plans to organize many projects in 2011, Eyüboğlu’s centennial. “We are planning to compile the entire body of work of our grandfather for the centennial, but it’s a very huge and challenging project. But we must do this in a way that suits our grandfather.”
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