THE SUN AND THE MOON AS A CULTURAL IMAGE IN THE PAINTINGS OF ERTUĞRUL ATEŞ

The sun and the moon, which belong to the celestial realm, are images that occupy an important place in Turkish culture. It is inevitable that these images, which are reflected in almost all aspects of Turkish life, are found in works of art, and it is undeniable that these images also have their place in Contemporary Turkish Painting Art. Ertuğrul Ateş, who frequently use the images of the sun and the moon in his works within Contemporary Turkish Painting Art, is one of the important artists who reflect the sun and moon as a cultural image in his surrealist-romantic and mystical works. Therefore, the works of artist in question are considered an important reflection of Turkish culture. In this context, the main objective of this study was to examine and interpret the works of Ertuğrul Ateş in terms of the iconographic reflections of the sun and moon images. As a result of the study, it was found that the artist uses the images of the sun and the moon by reinterpreting them in his works. Thus, it can be said that the artist’s paintings, which are fed by the esthetic essence of Turkish culture, take an important place in contemporary Turkish painting art with their allegorical expression.

Keywords

The Sun and The Moon, Ertuğrul Ateş, Contemporary Turkish Painting Art, Contemporary Art, Image.