Namık İsmail (1890 in

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

– August 30, 1935 in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) was a Turkish

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter and art educator, who received his training in France.

Biography

İsmail was born into an upper-class family that moved to Istanbul while he was still a child. After attending the public schools, he was enrolled at the Saint Benoit French High School in Istanbul. Inspired by his father's interest in

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

, he also took private art lessons from

Şevket Dağ Şevket Dağ (1876, Istanbul - 1944, Istanbul) was a Turkish painter, art teacher and politician. Although he painted in a wide variety of genres, he is perhaps best remembered for his interior portraits of major historical structures. Biogra ...

. After he graduated, his father decided to send him to Paris to continue his studies.Brief biography
@ Sanal Müze. Ismail-threshing

In 1911, he was admitted to the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

and later found a position in the workshop of

Fernand Cormon Fernand Cormon (; 24 December 1845 – 20 March 1924) was a French painter born in Paris. He became a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin, and Jean-François Portaels, and one of the leading historical painters of modern France. Biog ...

. However, he found himself more attracted to

Corot CoRoT (French: ; English: Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits) was a space telescope mission which operated from 2006 to 2013. The mission's two objectives were to search for extrasolar planets with short orbital periods, particularly t ...

and the Barbizon school, as opposed to Cormon's

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

style.Brief biography
@ Tablo. He went home for a vacation, but was unable to return to France due to the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and served briefly in the Caucasian Campaign. He was mustered out after contracting

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

. In 1917, he had his first showing at the " Galatasaray Exhibition" and was awarded a silver medal. Shortly thereafter, he helped establish a workshop in

Şişli Şişli () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528 (2022). Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş ...

, together with

İbrahim Çallı İbrahim Çallı (13 July 1882 – 22 May 1960), popularly known as Çallı İbrahim, was a Turkish painter and educator. He was a founding members of the Society of Ottoman Painters. He trained many young painters as a professor at Mimar Sinan ...

Sami Yetik Sami Yetik (1878, Istanbul – 1945, Istanbul) was a Turkish Impressionist painter; primarily of cityscapes and landscapes. Biography His father, Hacı Raşid Efendi, was a merchant. After completing his primary education, he attended Kuleli Mil ...

, , and others, who became known as the "Çallı Generation". He also traveled to Berlin to exhibit with

Celal Esat Arseven Celal Esat Arseven (1875 – 13 November 1971) was a Turkish painter, writer and politician. He made contributions to various fields, including photography, literary art history, theater, cinema, architecture and urbanism. He was one of the firs ...

, where they stayed for two years, working with

Lovis Corinth Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. Corinth studied in Paris and Munich, joined the Berlin Secessio ...

and

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

. In 1919, he returned home and became a teacher at the

Osman Nuri Pasha Osman Nuri Pasha (‎; 1832, Tokat, Ottoman Empire – 4 to 5 April 1900, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire), also known as Gazi Osman Pasha (), was an Ottoman Turkish field marshal. Being one of the most respected and decorated Ottoman pas ...

Middle School. The following year, he married Mediha Hanım, daughter of the

Mullah Mullah () is an honorific title for Islam, Muslim clergy and mosque Imam, leaders. The term is widely used in Iran and Afghanistan and is also used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law. The title h ...

Şefik Bey. They separated after ten years of marriage and divorced just two months before his death. He resigned his position at the middle school to travel in Italy. After returning home, he worked as an editorial director at ''

İleri ''İleri'' (literally ''Forward''), was a Turkish newspaper founded on 1 January 1918 by Celal Nuri İleri (1877–1938) and his brother Suphi Nuri İleri (1887–1945). It was initially published under the name ''Ati'' until 12 February 1919 ...

'', a republican newspaper, then became an assistant manager at the Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi (Academy of Fine Arts, now the

Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (, or MSGSÜ) is a public art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established in 1882 under the leadership of Osman Hamdi Bey. Hi ...

). In 1925, the Ministry of National Education held a contest to design a new Turkish coat of arms. İsmail won the contest, with an

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

that included

Asena Asena is the name of a she-wolf associated with the Göktürks' foundation myth. The ancestress of the Göktürks is a she-wolf, mentioned yet unnamed in two different "Wolf Tales". The legend of Asena tells of a young boy who survived a battle ...

, a she-wolf from the folktales of the

Göktürks The Göktürks (; ), also known as Türks, Celestial Turks or Blue Turks, were a Turkic people in medieval Inner Asia. The Göktürks, under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and his sons, succeeded the Rouran Khaganate as the main powe ...

, but the design was never used. Ismail-Men on Deck

In 1928, he was appointed director of the academy, which position he held until his death from a heart attack while on a ferry crossing from

Kadıköy Kadıköy () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district on the Asian side of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 25 km2, and its population is 467,919 (2023). It is a large and populous area in the Asian si ...

References

External links

More paintings by İsmail
@ Sergiler
An appreciation of his life and art
@ Antikalar {{DEFAULTSORT:Ismail, Namik 1890 births 1935 deaths People from Samsun Impressionist painters 20th-century Turkish painters Turkish art educators

Biography

References

Further reading

External links