The show features 40 pieces of artwork Başaran produced over the last six years. “This show reflects my technique, my perception and my emotions very well. I depicted the subjects that I’m interested in with this exhibition,” the artist explained in an interview with Today’s Zaman.“I tried to choose topics that are taken from their natural environment and used a classical style while producing my works. I have a very big interest in nature, and I have a passion for painting people engaged with nature, old and young people together at a picnic, for example,” she says, adding that she rids herself of all negative energy while painting. She notes that she does not like very bright colors but tries to reflect the real color of nature.
Başaran’s engagement with art started with landscape paintings. Gradually she began to produce portraits and figurative paintings. “After these periods I began to depict little episodes from human life such as a child eating simit, women at a bazaar, or a ballet stage. This current exhibition’s theme is also human,” she says, adding that she specifically tries to emphasize the depth in the faces of the people in her paintings.
“When I was little, I made my family members sit in front of me and I would try to draw their portraits. Once, my mother got very tired of waiting for me to finish and put a picture of herself on the table and left,” she recalls. “I always painted whenever I had time. In 1992 my husband showed the paintings I did at home to one of his painter friends and he liked them a lot so I started to get professional training,” she notes.
Prior to her recent painting efforts, Başaran also received an education from the Turkish Handcrafts Department at Topkapı Palace. “The deep culture and meaning that Turkish handcrafts give a person -- their motifs, colors and subject matter -- has been very appealing to me. Because of this, I sought a two-year training from the masters of these arts, such as Semih İrteş, Mahmure Öz and Cahid Keskiner under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. After four or five years, I moved on to painting, which has always had a deep influence on me. But the things I learned from classical Turkish handcrafts remain as precious guides for me,” she explains. “I realized that I could express myself better with painting compared to illumination or miniatures. You are freer in painting, be it with the brush or with the composition and with colors, designs and other elements. The patience and discipline aspect of handcrafts, of course, taught me a lot. Illumination and miniatures are highly aesthetic arts that include many details [and require] an absolutely steady hand,” she said.
Başaran has also contributed to several mixed exhibitions and last month displayed some of her paintings at the Harbiye Military Museum through the Hayrettin Sönmez İstinye Workshop. Her current show, titled “Fırçanın Sesi” (The Sound of the Brush), will run through Dec. 30 at the Beyoğlu Municipality Art Gallery.
