Sami Yetik (1878,

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 ...

– 1945, Istanbul) 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; primarily of cityscapes and landscapes.

Biography

His father, Hacı Raşid Efendi, was a merchant. After completing his primary education, he attended

Kuleli Military High School Kuleli Military High School was the oldest military high school in Turkey, located in Çengelköy, Istanbul, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus strait. It was founded on 21 September 1845, by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I. After the 2016 Turkish ...

. Although interested in art, he gave no thought to pursuing it as a career until he made friends with , whose passion for painting inspired him to consider it. He was also encouraged by

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 ...

, who was a teacher there at the time. In 1896, when he entered the

Turkish Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy () or as it is known historically and popularly Harbiye is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defense University (Turkey), National Defence University. It is located in the cent ...

, he began his studies with

Hoca Ali Rıza Hoca Ali Rıza (1858 in Üsküdar – 20 March 1930 in Üsküdar) was a Turkish painter and art teacher, known primarily for his Impressionist landscapes and architectural paintings. Biography Hoca Ali Rıza's father was a cavalry major an ...

, who continued to support his career after his graduation in 1898. After serving a required term as a teacher at the military high school in

Eyüpsultan Eyüpsultan or Eyüp () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 228 km2, and its population is 422,913 (2022). The district extends from the Golden Horn all the way to t ...

, he entered the "School of Fine Arts and Crafts" (now

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 1900, where he studied with the Italian painter,

Salvatore Valeri Salvatore Valeri (1856 in Nettuno – 30 December 1946 in Nettuno) was an Italian painter who spent much of his career as an art teacher in Turkey. Biography He studied painting at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. In 1882, he moved from Italy t ...

. He graduated in 1906, and taught at Kuleli for a time. In 1910, he was able to make a visit to Paris, with the assistance of the Minister of War,

Mahmud Şevket Paşa Mahmud Shevket Pasha (, ; 1856 – 11 June 1913)David Kenneth Fieldhouse: ''Western imperialism in the Middle East 1914-1958''. Oxford University Press, 2006 p.17 was an Ottoman military commander and statesman. During the 31 March Incident ...

. There, he studied at 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 worked with

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a romanticism French painter and sculptor, and he is one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon ...

. His first exposure to Impressionism had a profound effect on his style. He returned to Turkey in 1912 and fought in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, alongside his old friend, Mehmet Ali Laga. They were assigned to the front at

Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

. When the front lines broke, he was captured by Bulgarian forces and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

. Before being captured, he and Laga attempted to save as many paintings as possible from the studios of

Hasan Rıza Hasan Rıza (1858, Istanbul – 16 March 1913, Edirne)Süheyl Ünver: ''Şehit Ressam Hasan Rıza ve Resimleri'', Trakya Üniversitesi Yayınları, Online @ Eğitim Bilişim Ağı was a military painter from the Ottoman Empire. He was killed dur ...

, who had been killed while attempting to do so himself. He also served in

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 ...

, as a soldier and

war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

. His works and those of other military painters were shown at special exhibitions in Vienna and Berlin, after the war. He was an art teacher and officer until 1933; retiring with the rank of Major. He continued to paint and write for the rest of his life, and was a regular participant in exhibitions at the

Galatasaray Museum Galatasaray Museum (officially Galatasaray University Culture&Art Center; ) is a cultural center in Istanbul, Turkey, founded in 1868 to inform the society of the traditions and history of Galatasaray. The building The museum initially opened at ...

. In 1940, he published the first volume of ''Ressamlarımız'' (Our Painters). The second volume was left unfinished at his death, in 1945, shortly after he became one of the first members of the (Military Painters) Association.

Selected paintings

Yetik-Wife.jpg, Portrait of his wife, Esi Yetik-Festival.jpg,

Eid-al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the ...

Yetik-Struggle.jpg, The National Struggle File:Yetik-Atatürk.jpg, Atatürk at Anafartalar Yetik-Kadifekale.jpg, Mount Kadifekale

Sources

* Kaya Ozsezgin, ''Sami Yetik'', Turkish Painters Series #6, Yapı Kredi Publications, 1997
"Our Famous Painter: Sami Yetik"
by Tülin Çoruhlu, with bibliography @ Antikalar
Biography with gallery of works
@ Turkish Paintings

External links

Brief biography
@ Google Arts & Culture
More works by Yetik
@ ArtNet
Biography and works
@ Biyografi {{DEFAULTSORT:Yetik, Sami 1878 births 1945 deaths Turkish painters Ottoman art Military art Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University alumni Painters from Istanbul Ottoman military personnel of World War I Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars