MINIATURE ART

The word miniature, which is the general name of small and colorful pictures, which is named after the color red, is derived from the Latin verb "miniare". The Turkish equivalent of this term is "painting with red". This name arose because the titles of the manuscripts were colored with metallic red. In Ottoman Turkish, the same word is referred to as "embroidery" or "tasvir". Miniature, which is an art that passed from the Chinese and Turks to the Iranians and then to Europe, was used to depict the fine details in the past, which explained the subject in the book and focused on the finest details when necessary. The brushes of the miniature art were made from the feathers of kittens and were called “quill pens”. The subjects of miniature art, which are literally a test of patience during the construction phase, generally reflect the culture, customs and traditions of the society. In the past, subjects such as war, wedding, ceremony, epic, love and disaster were usually depicted. Although the paintings did not have a full perspective, even the most distant figures were transferred to the paper in the most detailed way. In this technique, where light and shadow details are not used as in the European perspective, there is no other detail emphasizing the difference in distance. Another of the most interesting features of miniature art is the lengthening or shortening of the concept of height in people according to the importance of the person being drawn; the main character was always placed at the front and highlighted with a tall stature. Here, the picture drawn as a sketch was then transferred to paper, colored with strong substances such as soot ink and madder, and then polished with gold. This profession, which was reborn under the name of “Şehnamecilik” in the Kanuni period, while recording historical events with writing, also served to create an archive by miniaturizing it. The miniature works, which were forgotten among the very valuable manuscripts in the past, became a problem in terms of seeing and loving these paintings by the society. Unfortunately, these works have not been seen by anyone except a very limited number of experts, but they play a very important role in our society's recognition of its culture. Miniature artists who left their mark on history; Matrakçı Nasuh, Levni and Nusret Çolpan, who showed a more modern approach.

Bosnian-born Matrakçı Nasuh was a skilled Janissary, swordsman and sniper known for his intelligence, who passed through both the Infantry and Devshirme systems. He is also a mathematician, teacher, historian, cartographer, swordsman, inventor, painter, farmer and miniaturist. His miniature works, which are a kind of rangenâme; It contributes to the field of urbanism and geography by bringing the "unknown lands" of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century to the present. He built the Google Earth system about 500 years ago. He depicts the bird's-eye view of the earth in his works. On the other hand, he drew the figures as if he were seeing them from the opposite side, not from the top. Levni, real name Abdülcelil Çelebi, Ottoman miniature artist, folk poet. The artist who lived in the Tulip Era is the last great representative of Ottoman miniature art. Although the miniature art, which started to weaken in the 17th century, was revived with Levnî, who produced works in the 18th century, it fell into disrepute and fell into a deep sleep. Turkish miniature art gives its first original work after Levnî in the hands of a young miniature artist. This work, titled "Fatih's Anger", bears the signature of Nusret Çolpan.