The last painter of our courts Zonaro

T

The entering of painting to the Ottoman Courts began with the Reforms of 1839. It’s known that the famous seascapes painter Ayvazowski had presented a painting to Sultan Abdulmecid during his first visit to istanbul. The Sultan gave this painting to his crown- prince brother Abdulaziz, thus starting his love for paintings. Abdulaziz was a ruler who greatly admired music, calligraphy and painting. Following his trip to Paris and London, he adorned the walls of his palace with paintings of famous artists. Moreover he invited Ayvazowski to istanbul and made him paint about forty paintings. Furthermore he assigned Polish artist

Chlebowski as court painter. Thus a permanent staff for

The last painter o f our C ourts

ZONARO

Eski boğaziçinde, hayali cihan değer bir manzara: Anadoluhisarı'nda sandal sefası (Taha Toros koleksiyonundan)

A view from ancient Bosphorous. Caiques in Anadoluhisari. (From Taha Toros collection)

1900’larda Haliç. (Taha Toros koleksiyonundan)

The Golden Horn in 1900's. (From Taha Toros collection)

Zonaro'nun fırçasından Bayan Zonaro. (Taha Toros arşivi)

The artist's wife made by Zonaro (From Taha Toros archives)

painter of court was established.

This job was given to Italian origined Fausto Zonaro during Sultan Abdulhamid’s reign. We see that Italian painters occupy a special place in the history of Turkish painting. According to my studies both in the Ottoman state archives and the archives of Paris and Rome, four of the five foreign instructors in the Fine Arts Academy founded in 1882 in Turkey, were Italian. The first foreign instructor was Italian origined Leonardo de Mango who administered the Oil Paintings branch. The instructor of Pastel and Pencil branch was Salvator Valeri. Phillippe Bello was then considered an authority in the

Painting Technique and Aquarelles. The last of the Italian instructors was Ecvaroni (1) who was assigned by the sultan’s special order, but he has not left any traces in the history of the Academy. During the following years, F.Zonaro was assigned as the court painter. Fausto Zonaro, whose works show a striking realism, had great mastery in reflecting the Orient on his canvases.

F.Zonaro, whose many fictitious works are in the collections of the Turkish Palaces and wealthy mansions, gained fame with his mastery in depicting various characters and scenery of Istanbul. Due to this mastership he was named as the Painter of the

Bosphorous, the Painter of Heroic Deeds and the Painter of Bright Portraits.

Zonaro’s Biography

Fausto Zonaro was born in the town of Masi near Padua on

18th September 1854. He started painting when he was still a child. He was the best pupil of his classes throughout his primary, secondary and higher education (in the Fine Arts School of Verona). After his military service, Zonaro graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Rome. He opened his first exhibition in 1885 and upon great demand he opened another exhibition in Paris in

1888.

Besides painting, Zonaro earned his living by interior decoration for about two years in Venice and Naples. Meanwhile his paintings won recognition by Italian palaces and he was awarded Order of Knighthood by the King.

Zonaro’s passion

for the East and

his visit to İstanbul

The attraction aroused by the books about East, opened the way of Istanbul to Zonaro. The artist who described Istanbul as the Eden in the world when he first came in 1891, decided to settle in this paradise. He found himself within a respected arts circle after completing his first paintings depicting Istanbul and its cha­

racteristics.

The artist who never became tired of İstanbul, used to take his canvases under his arm and go into the depths of nature everyday in order to live in the heart of those magnificent sceneries. During those days, Istanbul was flooded with exuberance over the trip of Ertuğrul cruiser to Japan. The cruiser which sank on its return trip was seen off from Galata piers with a pompous ceremony. The officers of Ertuğrul in their goldbraided uniforms left amongst band music, loud prayers and applause. Zonaro, who was

very much touched by this farewell ceremony, passed it onto his canvases. He had so beautifully depicted this historical moment that this painting was worthy to be hung only on the palace walls. As a matter of fact, his painting was presented to Yıldız Palace and this work opened the way for his assignment as court painter. Zonaro received the title of “the Royal Painter of His Highness” and was awarded the royal decoration. F austo Zonaro worked as court painter for 20 years in the Turkish Palaces, besides reviving the Bosphorous -of those days- which he greatly admired, he made striking paintings in various genres. The artist, upon the Sultan’s orders, made paintings depicting historical events and heroic deeds. The most well-known of those are “The Conqueror Entering Istanbul” , “The Victory of Preveze”, “The Ottoman -Greek War” . Most of his works in this genre adorn the walls of our palaces. Zonaro was a painter who gave life on his canvases to the beauties of the Bosphorous, the historical districts, the mosques, the public baths, the social events such as weddings, feasts and different characters such as the dervishes, the street peddlers, the petition writers, the cart drivers, the firemen, the water-sellers, the fishermen, in short all the characteristics and characters of ancient Istanbul which we have lost today. Zonaro was one of those who taught to the museums of the world and to the Western art circles about painting and painters of the East. He was at the same time one of those who laid the cornerstones of Turkish painting.

H is wailing departure

from İstanbul

Zonaro’s departure from Turkey deeply wounded him as a sorrowful memory. Upon the Italians’ attack to Tripolitania (present Libya) in 1911, a great

confusion began in Turkey. While this invasion was heartfully protested, it was also decided to expel the Italian origined people from Turkey. The instructors in the Fine Arts Academy and Zonaro were among those, His title of court painter and tutor toAbdulmecit when he was a crown prince, did not prevent his

denouncement, whereas he would soon receive the title of “pasha” and celebrate this by opening an exhibition. He was given three days to leave Turkey and he left İstanbul with tears after selling about 300 of his works in his museum-like studio in Akaretler, Beşiktaş.

Zonaro chose San Remo as his settlement thinking that its sea was somewhat similar to that of İstanbul. He nostalgically painted pictures of the Bosphorous on one hand and on the other hand he made large size bohemian paintings while gradually increasing his addictment to drinks. Zonaro died in San Remo on 19th July

1929.

As we have indicated above, Zonaro was one of the Western painters who had a share in the development of the art of painting in Turkey. Therefore he was widely mentioned in domestic and foreign papers and periodicals. (2).

Zonaro at International

Exhibitions

Zonaro joined 30 joint- exhibitions after 1883 and opened 15 individual

exhibitions.Four of these were organized in İstanbul. Zonaro’s last exhibition in Istanbul was during his preparation for bahishment. Nearly 300 works were sold within 3 days. About 300 other works in the ownership of his inheritors were exhibited in Florence in 1977. This exhibition attracted great attention in the world of art. nearly 200 of those works reflected Turkey which was a great source of inspiration for the artist. His heirs wanted to display Zonaro’s works in

Turkey and sell them. They had long correspondence with the Italian Cultural Center in Istanbul and me for this purpose. But they had to give up the idea of opening an exhibition, since it was impossible to transfer the money collected by the sales, within the then prevailing conditions. They would bring more than 100 works which were all related to ancient Istanbul. The art lovers were deprived of seeing and buying these beautiful works of art*

1) The archives o f Prime ministry: Document dated February 1304 (Moslem calendar) and numbered 88086/75.

2) La Revue des Beaux-Arts et des Lettres 1899

Figaro Illustrée, Paris 1908 (Nuova Turchia)

Figaro Illustrée, Paris February (L'Oriente Artistico-F.Z. peintre de S.M.J.le Sultan)

Déri-Séadet 1908

L’Art et les Artistes (A. Thalasso) “Constantinople" Paris 1908 L’Art et les Artistes (A. Thalasso) “L ’Art Osmanh Orient" Paris 1908 La Illustration Artistica

"Barcelona" 1895 Sep. 1899 Nov. 1901 Aug. 1903 Apr. 1906 July, 1914 Feb.

Ulusterierte Zeitung, Berlin, 1885, 1892, 1898

UUuslerierte Zeitung, Leipzig, 1904, 1914

Benezit (Larousse o f Art) T Art Ottoman (Les Peintres de Turquie) Pg. 28-38

Encicloppedia Italliana Dersiadet Special issue o f Illustration (Paris) for Zonaro in Feb. 1907. Figaro Illustrée 1907 Feb. "The Painter o f

the Sultan" by M.L. Danieli- Camozzi

Servet-i Fünun (1900) No. 510 (Pg. 248-249), 512 (Pg. 281), No. 375 Malumat Mecmuası (periodical) Musavver Muhit (periodical) 1908- 1909

Resimli Kitap (periodical) No. 5, 1909

Poet Mehmet Emin Yurdakul's book named "Poems in Turkish" was illustrated by Zonaro, Hayat Mecmuası (periodical) 1959/28,

¡967/1 21 and 35 Hayat Mecmuası "Zonaro’s Last Years" by Taha Toros, 24 Aug. 1967 .

"Fausto Zonaro", Paolo Stefani- Giuseppe Luigi Marini, 1977 Tiirkiyemiz (periodical) “Fausto Zonaro’’ by Taha Toros, 1981, No. 33

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Kişisel Arşivlerde İstanbul Belleği Taha Toros Arşivi