A sweeping retrospective celebrates the life and influence of İbrahim Çallı (1882–1960), one of the defining figures of 20th-century Turkish painting. in the new Istanbul Art Museum on the Golden Horn (writes İpek Kozanoğlu).
Born in Çal in the rural heart of western Anatolia in 1882 (hence his adopted surname), Çallı aspired to become an artist during an early education at the Military Academy. He later enrolled at Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi (now known as Mimar Sinan) to study art, completing his education in less than six years.
He founded the Society of Ottoman Painters in 1909. He was accepted to Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris upon completing his education and passing the entrance exam with high grades. There, he worked in the atelier of Fernand Cormon, learning the techniques of Impressionists. Returning to Istanbul at the outbreak of war in 1914, Çallı became art instructor to cCown Prince Abdülmecid Efendi, the future Caliph. He worked at a studio in Şişli newly established in 1917 by the War Minister Enver Pasha, producing war paintings that were exhibited in Vienna a year later. He went on to teach at the İstanbul Fine Arts Academy until his retirement in 1947. The artist passed away in 1960.
Çallı stands as one of the most important artists of the late Ottoman Empire and early Republican eras, chronicling a society in transition. Known primarily for his naturalist and figurative paintings, he depicted scenes from everyday life, portraits and landscapes. Çallı reflected the times he lived in, capturing the changing tides of Ottoman society into the early Republican era. His influence was so profound on the generation of artists of 1914, that it resulted in them being recognised as the “Çallı Generation” (Çallı Kuşağı) which mostly included his students, Hikmet Onat (1882-1937), Hüseyin Avni Lifij (1886-1927), Nazmi Ziya Güran (1881-1937) amongst others. Following in the footsteps of Çallı, this group of artists stood out by furthering their education in Paris, supported by Osman Hamdi Bey. They were inspired by Impressionism and harmonised techniques of the West with the sensibilities of the East, creating a synthesis that shaped the trajectory of Turkish modern art.
The exhibition presents a meticulous selection of 64 oil and mixed-media paintings alongside 24 photographs, offering a comprehensive view of the artist, his career and his widespread influence. With his colourful palette, loose brushstrokes that became a reflection of the artist’s own bohemian and daring spirit, Çallı became the driving force behind modernisation of Turkish art. The historic dockyards of Halic Tershane which was transformed in to a museum and is continuing brining lives and works of Turkish artists in to light, sets a fitting tone and atmosphere for this exhibition.
