cover image A History of Turkish Painting

A History of Turkish Painting

. University of Washington Press, $100 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-295-96711-0

Modern Turkish painters evince a familiarity with Western styles ranging from impressionism to photorealism. Yet, as this beautiful album demonstrates, they have transformed these diverse approaches in creating works with a unique flavor, at once indigenous and universal. Combining 488 color plates with captivating essays by six Turkish historians, this invaluable compilation reveals a body of work virtually unknown in the West. Ottoman miniatures, elegant murals and 19th-century portraits and landscapes preface a substantial section on works from the 20th century. Nazmi Ziya Guran's impressionist seascapes seem to shimmer with a light unlike anything in Western art. Ibrahim Calli's The Night Ambush from WW I is as terrifying an image of war as one might find anywhere. Dozens of more recent pictures are no less arresting, and the survey of Turkish printmaking that concludes the volume makes it a must for collectors and art libraries. (Aug.)