An Interview with ASLIER

What the beginning of your story of life and its continuation ?

I was born in Bulgaria, Kircaal, the village of Cataklar, Deliapriogullari. According to my diploma which I had received from Çataklar Turkish primary school. I was born in 1927.Due to a mistake in translation which occurred the during the emigration years, it was written as 1925 in my birth certificate. Neither the month nor the date is clear.

I was educated in the village primary school and I finished the orta school in Bursa. I graduated from Balikesir Necatibey İlköğretmen Okulu ( Primary School Teaching Institute) and entered Gazi Egitim Institute, Department of Art. I went to Germany after finishing the institute in 1953. I had an education of five years in Munich, Stuttgart, Graphics Arts Faculty.

I was appointed to the National Applied Faculty of Fine Arts of Istanbul as a faculty member during 1958 -1959. I taught Original Printart, Publication Graphics in this institution ans installed the Original Printart atelier.

My interested to art started consciously while I was in Balikesir Öğretmen Okulu ( Balikesir, Instute of Teaching), Prof. Kenan ÖZBEL who had retired from the faculty of Fine Arts, was my instructorer in Bursa, Süleyman Çelebi Ortaokulu.He was the person who taught me the thought that art was a subject which most people admired. Besides I was very succesful in science subjects and an industrious student. If I did not meet an instructorer who was also a painter in the meantime like deceased Sırrı Özbay and an instructorer like Mahir Gürsel who has a sculptorer in the mean time. I think I would become a physician or a mathematician. I was sure of my decision when I entered the Department of Art of Gazi Eğitim Institute and I knew what I wanted. I started working with graphic art elements just at the beginning during the first grade. My instructorers, Mr. Şinasi Barutçu, Mr Malik Aksel ( painter), Mr. Refik Epikman ( painter), all lit a light to my way. The atmosphere of the department helped me a lot and was in parallel taste to art practices. It seemed all the faculty memebers was in common aggrement to make the best of what they can to students who would give their heart to art.

After graduating from Gazi Eğitim Institute, I had a succesful accomplishment in the exam held by the Ministry and went to Germany to study Graphic Arts. I continued my studies in Munich, Stuttgart Academy of Graphic Arts and Graphic Art Schools and recoverd diplomas. I had seen nearly all the museums in Middle Europe. I worked in private ateliers in Stuttgart. I had solo exhibitions in Germany and Australia. After 5 years of study, I started teaching in the Faculty of Fine Arts ( Devlet Tatbiki Gzüel Sanatlar Yüksekokulu). Today, I am working for the same institution which changed its name to Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts.

- What s your opinion about art and your art?

The phenomenon of art is a reality. It is the process of searching for a way of building the elements, of art and one’s own creative and constructive power to an original and objective work of art.

The artist is obliged to make trials and researches to create this new creation constantly. The artist can not aim to his creation ahead of time. The traces of trials and researches make up the original art piece. Due to the fact that each person has different physical and conceptual capacities, everybody should accomplish different development phases. The art production ends as a new fay of in tempretation as a results of series of trials and researches. The art practice must consist of these two realities and hence progress multidimensionally. We may summarize these dimensions as such:

1. The evaluation of all kinds of capacities and necessities of the human being.

The beginning of the art practice stars here, in my opinion. The artist lives in this dimensional first stage. His ,nner creative questioning and interpretative capacities realize their essence and develop to reach an end in themselves. The next phase is the period of realization for the artist to get to know himself and make evaluations of the before said capacities.

The most influencing working procedure takes place when the artist starts to search and try willingly. In this method, there is no obligation to point out an art production or an model as an functioning object or an aim. It is the artists concern to search for a model or an aim which will prove themselves at the end of trials and researches.

2.The second phase takes when the artist searches the elements and capacities of art and new fays of expression. The development of art proves itself with the determination of formation elements and reproduce these elements. Each artist evaluates these possibilities thorough his personal capacity and thorough new ways of expression and interpretation. As a result we have new art pieces and the limit of new production are enwidened to give way to new art productions. The second phase of art practice can

not be constructed on a previously planned truth. The first dimension which beholds the personal capacities and the activity which is produced as this dimension join together to make up the personal interpretation.

3. I think the third dimension for me the research made to look after the accumulated evaluations of art.

The art production together with the new interpretations which are brought to existence through personal capacities, reflect new interpretation possibilities together with the new phase given to elements of art, looking through this angle, the art productions which already exist and source for new trials.

It is the very dimension which adds volume to a work of art. The personal explanation level in which personal capacity and use of art elements are combined, adds new dimensions to the art evaluations of the society. In other words, it helps art to identify with the common denominators of art evaluations of the society. In other words, it helps art to identify with the common denominators of art evaluations. Of ordinary men.

4. The assimilation of environmental development:

Parallel to technological advances happening in the society, the economical advance, too, take place. the economical advance influences the society’ way of living just at the very foundation, and it causes certain ondulations and changes in the environmental textures. All these changes stimulate the creative artist and thus adds to the possibilities of art.

The artist lives all these possibilities in the whole of time-place unity and has his own interpretations. I think this is the fourth dimension of art. The artist may reflect whatever he is experiencing in the society through conceiving social concepts.

15 years ago, I had answered a question which was asked as ‘What is your visual art understanding? ‘ as ‘ I wanted to create a visual unity with the art elements I am using in my art. This uniqueness must be new and must belong only to me. Besides, I would like to express some visual evaluations which I have conceived as being immortal new and then, together with the conceptual evaluations of the same value.

Everybody is somewhat related to the kinds of universal evaluations determined by the society. The artist gets nearer to these evaluations as he develops his wisdom, feelings and tuition powers.

The artist conceives new evaluations and puts them into lights. My language is painting. I am working hard on possibilities of art to set in the midst the visual interpretation elements in the best refined possible way.

When I mean by explanation motives is; explanation motive is the concept or the value which will offer the most intimate relationship to the artist or into her words which will set in the midst the new and the original. If you are not able to put forwards a new way of expressing yourself, you can not add anything to visual evaluations. The quality of expression is that quality which makes the work of art universal.

I am trying the suit my thoughts which I have expressed above.

I accept the elementary plastic evaluations of great artists who lived long ago. I can see the relationship in the essence and the personality of the artist and form giving relations of his surrounding. For this reason, it is very important for me that uniqueness which takes its place in my art, covering a unity of essence and form which is hundred percent connected to my inner world which form my personality as well as plastic quality.

The West artists have forced the elementary possibilities to the end. The advanced philosophical systems of the East emphasizing the meaning of substance has been neglected. I think, thinking in terms of substance and making an effort to combine the evaluations made in terms of substance to world culture will create a cultural renaissance.

Getting to know Anatolian cultural elements, I believe much stronger that the renaissance will take its place, I wish, not only my art will remain as a supplement to universal plastic art evaluations with new and fresh interpretations but be the documents of new interpretations of substance and its evaluations.

In my country, there is a conflict between the abstract art which is built upon objective elements of art the defenders of explanatory artist whose art is established on subjective evaluations and they both seem to be accusing each other unjustly. As a result, is the artist is able to find his own way in one way or the other, all these debates are made in vain.

Sometimes when people see reflections of folk art in my work, they ask me questions on my interest of folk art. My answer to these questions is ; ‘The artist, the other words the professional artist’ , is obliged to create a language and aesthetics of his own and thus develop his abilities. The same think happens in the folk art culture which takes its place in a long duration which covers the age of the society. This change endures since the human society was established.

The reproduction material of folk art is important in determining the reproduction technique and the form characteristics which has its sources from its functional point of view, the language and aesthetics. Unless the material, technique and the functional changes, the product does not change its general formation. Only under these circumstances, the formation and colour formation and language and aesthetics develops with creative donations and become original. Some regional differences rise up in relation to the geographical positioning.

Coming to professional artist; struggles for creating a new and original art of his own, beholding all plastic elementary concepts in his duration of living. All his researches, trials and production struggles serve this aim. This very will and effort is very human and is not contrary to the society. Those who have added to the folk art are capable and artistic people. They have given the new to the society. In other words, they are creative masters who do not claim to be professional artists. These masters are people who are capable to differentiate between what is good and what is bad in their art and make discriminations between profound and kitsch art.

This source which had been built through many years has a great influence on the artist and the vice-versa can not be thought of. The period of time in which the artist lives beholds many evaluations in itself. There is no difference in terms of influence between the old evaluations and new. What is important is to create his new understanding which will last for a long time to give form to what does not yet exist.

In order to create a new, does not mean to cancel all those that was created before. Those who search for the new are the ones who can appreciate the old artists evaluation and evaluations the artist must benefit from all evaluations present in nature and society.

The phases of my art work:

My first art work was exhibited in 1946 in Ankara Halkevleri Genel Merkezi ( Head center of public houses) and I had a reward. I was 20 and meantime a student in Gazi Egitim Institute. Starting form this day, I can group the trials and researches of my art work according to the education I had and the different societies I belonged to:

1) Ages of 20 – 27: the period of trying my drawing capabilities and getting to know myself. I have realized that I was able to draw what I observed precisely and easily. I had drawn hundreds of sketches in the Ankara Bazaar, coffee shops, train stations in the villages besides modelling lessons. I was drawing from my mind looking at the sketches. I was highly influenced by Rembrandt, Daumier and Goya. Although I knew precisely well that my way should be different. I could not figure out a way to find my original interpretation. The subject had the main priority rather than art elements in my work.

2) Ages 28 – 35 ; getting to know the West art throughly ( 1953-1969)

I was sent to Germany at the end of the exam held in Graphics arts subject in 1953 by the government. I had been educated in Graphic Art in Munich and Stuttgart during 1953- 1958. I became aware of the objective approach to formation elements used by West artist. I came close to practices which were held to teach the elemental powers of plastic elements. When I was close to this approach, it influenced my language of expressing myself in my art. I started to add a new understanding in my art, giving way only to formative elemental compositions. Trying the power of formative objective visual elements. I even drew without figures and objects. On the other hand, I was afraid losing my originality whşch I thought I had gained up to this time.

3) After 1960, during the first ten years, I started to give a new formation to human figures benefiting from the visual elements of art considering the accumulation of East and West art. I had observed the people around me, I could draw their posture, outer appearance as well, and their characteristics easily. In order to express them in a more artistic language, I removed their outer fittings. I tried human figures naked and as bare symbols. I had the struggle to combine the form and the figure froms and made researches on this subject.

4) 1970 -1980; during the 10 years I tried to make benefit of the folk art in my compositions. The definite and bare compositions in rugs and carpets were suitable to my symbolic figurative expression. Besides, the compositions in the icons and miniatures, which has an approach to reach the subject indirectly, (which I call indoors or outdoors posture) seemed to be close to my way of expressing myself and I had this view for years.

And in this way, with abstracted figures very close to bare forms without destructing the symbolic explanation which reflects the human behaviour, I was composing, what we could call, rather, ‘a geometrical’ painting atmosphere. By the way, I must admit I was greatly influenced by the folk art which recalled Hittite Sun which I had seen gorgeous Mexican Exhibition. I had tried this concept of putting figures side by side or one on to another since I had seen the exhibition in 1958.

5) I am trying to evaluate what I had mastered through experience an researches after 1980. As you are aware, I made benefit of original printart technique in most of my work. As in my starting years, now I am sparing more time to etching colour techniques.

Many people have told me that my work had an monumental effect through bare compositions and symbolic and formal way of expression. Because I was aware of this fact, I thought of my drawing as wall paintings even if when I drew little etchings of original print, I could adjust only one of those to the outer wall of my house in Marmara Island. I did not forget this fact in my last works of art either.

-What do you think about regionality and universality in art ?

Our art was built upon ecoles, coming from the West. With the establishment of democracy, our doors were consciously open to art and science world of West. Our artists met the cultural evaluations of the new and old ages all at once. They were shocked and staggered with those cultures. Now that we have the 50 years of experience and conclusions lying ahead of us, w have the possibility of judging them. Now, the understanding so go on experiencing what already exists, makes the artist to be pulled away from his own origin. Now, we have the possibility to argue what is ours, what is valuable and new for us.

Some of our artist making an effort keep pace with new and contemporary currents. We may say that they can achieve this. Due to publications and international relationships, well-known artists and original ecoles spread very speedily. But I must admint it is not yet sufficient guide to prove his ability that the artist should keep pace with the contemporary artists. What Is important for the artist I to create his own original work of art. Important artists cause the beginning of certain currents. Their very characteristics which is to keep pace with the new ecoles. These artists are unfortunately forgotten in a period of time. Real artists make benefit of all ecoles, yet, they do not think of belonging to a certain ecole, but aim t add the new and original evaluations to their art.

According to the judgement stated above, folk art is one of the most important sources. When I am speaking of a source, I am not thinking of the artist as a person who is carrying water from the springs. The artist is the person who ceases his thirst from old springs to be stronger in his art.

Nationalism is not an aim art or painting, It is natural to draw similarities in terms of essence in the art of artists who live in the same environment. Without questioning the most important originality which belongs to the artist. The other factors to determine the effects of the age and the environment are of secondary importance.

The most important thing in art is freedom. What follows freedom is to respect and love art. Painting, whit is own possibilities has the capacity to create universal evaluations in terms of human beings. In such a stage of creation, the artist cannot possibly pledge himself to the proposal coming from the outside world.

The artist must be capable to feel, to think and to perceive, and approach people whit the power he gets from these feelings and evaluations people has create and make his statement in the utter bare form, if the final form of creation is really has the characteristic to be universal, it is the artist who aware of this truth. The others belonging to the society are the last ones to be aware of this truth. To assert some stipulations in order to carry art to the society, will force the artist to face the prejudgements. The artist has a mission to form something which does not yet exist. I can not think of something to show the artist his way except his own efforts.

I believe the art will provide it self in an excellent formation if it is respected and evaluated and the society will be able to create an ambiance to produce original art work.

-What are the different characteristics of original printart compared to other techniques?

Pictures drawn on different materials through different tools and materials directly to the paper or by way of moulds is called the original printart. The pictures are created through the printing stages of the moulds.

Original printart expression was first used by in 1972. Those kinds of techniques were called etching since then. Engraving means carved mouldings. One can produce original print with out carving the mould. Such technique is used in lithography, serigraphy techniques. Therefore, I used ‘original printart’ expression for this branch of art.

Different engraving techniques donates the artist with new interpretation possibilities and techniques. The artist can not behold himself from trying new and rich interpretation and formotion techniques. These trials donate him the possibility to find his artistic visual language. The richness of these techniques to make up the visual elements of the composition is the short -cut for the artist to reflect his personality through his art. In general in an age, where emphasis is laid upon the visual elements of plastic art trials, it is natural for the visual to be directed to original printart techniques. Besides, the age we live in, made it necessary that the art be carried outside the walls of palaces, museums and mansions. And, in the mean time the economical possibilities urges the artist to carry his work outside the walls of these museums, palaces and mansions. It started as the reproduction of the important art pieces and after a duration of time original printart production took over the productions and people started to put these original prints as paintings on their walls. This very social will urged the artist to reproduce original prints with effects of economical influence.

- What is the role of the original prints an Painting Art?

Debates which thae place since the beginning of the 15th century on the meaning of engraving art, art graphic, original printart expressions, have clear meanings in our time. Adam Ritter Von Bartsch for the first time explained the subject scientifically in 1821, in his book titled as ‘ Copper Engraving Techniques’.

In the 15th century and afterwards, some of our painters started with original printart studies besides painting. These artists started with woodcuts and then with carving copper plates. After 1799 they worked on stone surfaces and started working on lithography art, and from that time on, the artist started to use steel, aluminium, and zinc instead of copper. Since that time on, artists used metals and metal alloys as moulds like steel, zinc and aluminium instead of copper.

After 16th century, the wood engravings of Lucas Granach and Albrecht Dürer, the religious engravings made by the copper engraving techniques found its place in the market, folders consisting of a series of religious subjects or prints sold leaf by were bought by many people.

And ‘ Art in folders’ starting taking its place beside ‘Art for Walls’ under standing wth the starting of original printart.

In our country, especially in the second half, the explosion we have seen in the original printart, these works of art started taking its place on the walls its stead of folders. And debates which existed before this time ceased which insisted that these engravings could not be called real art and theartist proved himself thorough his original printart creations in which he printed each work by himself, controlled and put his signature to each work of art. Many disputes can be called upon these works of art, their artistic and original values can be questioned upon, but there is no one who still insists that these works of art can not be accepted as a production of art because they are produced thorough original printart techniques.

We can not put original printart productions into a certain category different from paintings, or a piece of sculpture in general.

The difference of original paintart production could be summarized as: Original prints differ in the art market from a piece of painting or a sculpture because original prints can be reproduced as much as the artist deem to. But as the number increases, the value decreases. An original tableau can not be repeated, and its value is much more higher than original print reproduction. The factor which increases or decreases the value is the will or buying. Some of these original prints may reach the value of an original painting or may be more.

- What do you think of painters to work on original print during the last passing years ?

There are two main reasons for me:

a. The will of the artist to establish his own visual interpretation language and make an progress and to benefit from the rich interpretation possibilities through these techniques.

b. Painting tableaus is the continuation of wall art. Tableaus painters are obliged to wait for rich buyers. Only after the Second World War, the middle class people, intellectuals were able to buy some of these paintings. But these people look for cheaper paintings. Original printart productions cover these demands. Reproduction of original prinart have taken their important places either or on the walls or in the folders in the con temporary living stills of people.