This commemorative volume, prepared by the Department of Art History of Istanbul University, the prestigious and deep-rooted university of our country, and contributing to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of our Republic, consists of articles that reveal the developments in the field of Art History throughout the century-long history of the Republic, and aims to address the contributions of the Republic to the study of Art History
The interest of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, in Archaeology and Art History, has been noted in many historical occurrences. During his visit to Istanbul University on Monday, December 15, 1930, Ataturk first attended the 1st and 3rd year classes of the Faculty of Law, then met with the Rector of the period, Prof. Dr. Muammer Raşit, and other professors, and brought the subject of legends to “Accadians and Hittites”. In response to the answers he received to the questions he asked during this time, Atatürk said, “History should be based on archaeological, paleographic and philological findings, not on legends”, and particularly emphasized this issue. With this statement, Atatürk reveals his perspective on science, and actually states that real history can only be written correctly by saving it from legends, and by using scientific branches such as Archaeology-Art History, Paleography and Philology. Starting from this idea, it was understood how important it is to carry a nation with its past into the future, and to create new cultural policies, a social consciousness and the concept of being a nation, and therefore, ‘Art’ and its history began to gain importance and develop as a branch of science in tandem with the Republic.
These days, when we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we want to present this book where different angles of research – by experts in their field - have been written as a contribution to this celebration. Their contributions are of value in order to understand and draw a view on the importance of Art History in the Republican period. From the new museological approach, to more conscious conservation policies, from the importance of painting in the formation of the nation-state understanding to the new architecture of governmental offices, which are the institutional and physical symbols of the state in many cities, from the Republican-era Turkey representations in the exhibitions abroad to the architects of the Early Republican period and the different types of structures they built, all have been taken in consideration.
Ara Altun, together with Şennur Kaya, who has served in our department for many years, gives a panorama of the eighty-year history of Istanbul University Art History Department, from its establishment to its administrative structure, from its excavations to its periodical publications, from the contribution of the scientific activities it organizes in the field, and from the faculty members serving in the department, and its history from the past to the present. |
