THE GREAT LOSSES OF CONTEMPORARY TURKISH PAINTING: THE ARTISTIC LEGACY AND INFLUENCE OF ZAFER GENÇAYDIN, HALIL AKDENIZ, MEHMET GÜLERYÜZ, AND MUSTAFA AYAZ

Abstract

The year 2024 has been marked in history as the year when four significant figures in Contemporary Turkish Painting were lost. Zafer Gençaydın, Halil Akdeniz, Mehmet Güleryüz, and Mustafa Ayaz have left a mark not only with their identities as artists but also with their intellectual personalities on both national and international levels. These artists have made lasting impressions on our collective memory as cultural producers and ambassadors, with their artistic attitudes transcending the boundaries of contemporary Turkish painting. Having trained numerous academicians and art educators, these artists have introduced the richness of Turkish painting to the world. Additionally, their artistic legacy is being spread across Anatolia through the new artists and academicians trained by their students.

This article aims to focus on the artistic lives and works of these artists we lost in 2024, by discussing and interpreting one of their works, and providing information about their artistic approaches and attitudes through their pieces. Another objective is to pass on the artistic creations these artists presented through their works to future generations.