Hikmet Barutçugil , one of the most important master of the art of marbling alive today, discusses the point he as arrived at in the long journey from dancing with watercolours to an eternity of art, and speculates as to whether the harmony of the colours is coincidental, or an act of divine inspiration...
On a hillside overlooking the Bosphorus, in the neighborhood of İhsaniye in Üsküdar, there is a house dating back to the 1830s...The tranquility that envelopes you as you enter the courtyard is an indication, perhaps, that you have behind left quotidian anxieties, and abandoned the rapid pace of daily life.
Of eleven ‘konak’ houses that were built during the reign of Sultan Mahmut the Second, only one still remains; sadly, the remainder were destroyed to make way for apartment buildings. This sole house resists time, indeed, is as though time has been able to come to a halt there...
Here is Ebristan, also known as the Istanbul Marbling House (İstanbul Ebru Evi). A master and lover of the art of marbling first discovered this house in his youth, and continued his undying love by passing it on to another generation...The person we are referring to is Hikmet Barutçugil, one of the most important masters of marbling alive today.
During his twenties, Barutçugil became entranced by the magic of marbling, and, finding no one else to teach it to him, resolved to learn it by himself. Each time that he danced with the watercolours, a different pattern emerged. Basing his studies on his belief in the eternity of art, Barutçugil advanced quickly in his chosen field. Through a number of experiments, he eventually was able to establish a new type of marbling, known as “powder marbling” (“barut ebrusu”).
After mastering the art of marbling himself, Barutçugil decided that the “doors to the discipline must be opened”. In the many years since then, he has struggled to increase the use of the marbling in different areas and to expand educational opportunities in the art. He is an exemplary lover of marbling, who has stopped at nothing to ensure the continuation of this traditional method of painting.
How did you begin his exploration of the art of marbling?
In 1973, I began a program in textile arts at the National Fine Arts Academy. Immediately, I became interested in traditional arts, especially calligraphy. After investigating several types of calligraphy, I moved on to marbling. However, in those days there was no one from whom I could receive an education in marbling. The only thing that I knew about the art was that it involved water and paint. Nevertheless, my interest in the secret methods of the marbling masters continued to increase, and I began to try to learn by myself through experimentation. It was as though a secret beauty had come to me alone, and the passion that first filled me then has persevered without diminishing in the slightest.
Is there enough interest in marbling as a traditional art?
Like all traditional arts, the art of marbling has experienced a renaissance since the 1990s... In fact, as soon as people began to understand that the majority of modern arts are not true arts at all, interest in the traditional arts began to increase all over the world. Marbling benefited from this. As interest increased, young people began to want to learn marbling, education opportunities in the art expanded, and, in general, marbling gained a new, dynamic character.
And your contributions to this development were significant...
People who participate in traditional arts obey firm rules. They do this in order to preserve their tradition. Therefore, the spread and rise of interest in marbling has been met with skepticism and antipathy by some artists.
If you examine the history of marbling’s development, you will see that, in general, its practice and methods were passed from father to son within certain specific families. These families protected marbling like secret. I have struggled to encourage more people to learn and to show interest in this art form. The development and renewal of the art depends on this alone. Of course it’s important to preserve tradition, but the doors to this tradition must not be closed.
Leonardo Da Vinci once said that “Life is brief, art eternal”. One can witness the eternity of art in marbling as well. I have also worked to expand the use of marbling in many different areas. In particular, I have tried to demonstrate that marbling can be used as a painting technique on every type of surface—glass, ceramic, metal, wood, fabric, what have you. One of the best methods of preserving an art is to introduce it into daily life. As an old saying goes, “Talent depends on attention, goods without a customer are lost...”
And you have also added a unique type of marbling to the discipline, powder marbling...
When I first became interested in the art of marbling, there was no one to teach it to me. Therefore, I began to experiment on my own by trial and error, often making mistakes. Although I was attempting to replicate classic marbling, I produced powder marbling. I don’t know whether it was a coincidence or an act of divine inspiration.
In classic marbling, the number of colours is fixed—as many colours emerge as are added to the pan. On the other hand, in powder marbling the colours combine haphazardly with one another, and intermediate hues emerge. Powder marbling resembles quite a lot of shapes that exist in nature. The designs achieve their character by coincidence.
What inspires a marbling artist?
Nature is the source of our inspiration, and, like other arts, marbling is inspired by the search for beauty. God’s creatures approach him through imitation. An artist’s contribution of designs and images doesn’t amount to much. It is a mysterious journey and a subtle art. The results of combining water and paint never fail to surprise.
Each marbling is unique, one of a kind, a single design which cannot be repeated. They are like fingerprints. Therefore, marbling artists prefer not to sign their names to their works. I sign my own works ‘Hikmet-i Hûda’ (God’s Wisdom). I describe the art of marbling better in this way.
Is there a lot of interest in the art of marbling worldwide?
Above all, there is currently significant interest in the United States and Europe. I have had many of my own works displayed outside of Turkey. From time to time, we are also invited to participate in seminars and brief classes outside of the country. When the art of marbling first arrived in the West, it was known by the name of “Turkish paper”, but the influence of this name wore off during the 18th and 19th Centuries. As a result of recent developments, ebru is once again widespread throughout the world and known as a Turkish art. Even if we now work with an alphabet that we don’t use, we still produce the world’s finest works of calligraphy and marbling.
What are the effects of marbling from a spiritual perspective?
Modern human beings are excessively impatient and typically want results immediately. In marbling, you are able indulge in the charming process of transforming paint in a can into a work of art in only a few minutes. Indeed, this process occurs so quickly that one often begins to imagine the next work before the first is finished. This continual mode of thought—which is known to modern psychology as ‘catharsis’—encourages a type of spiritual purification. Furthermore, the smell of the ox bile used in the paint is said to have a calming effect. Finally, the ability to reflect one’s own life through the harmony of colours formed by natural paints is yet another important spiritual effect of marbling.
Colours have a language. The colors that you prefer align the pulse of your spiritual to the outside world, and reflect the state of your soul. For example, black and red represent anger and disappointment, while blue and green symbolize calm. For the most part, I prefer blue.
How long does an education in marbling last?
Our basic education lasts for eight months, four days a week. During the preparatory phase of the first four months, we teach the basic methods dating back to the 14th and 15th Centuries. Students learn through their own experimental practice in the methods. During the second half of the course, the students learn who to make floral designs on marbled backgrounds. Through this basic education, students acquire all of the keys to the art of marbling. Another advantage of marbling is its relative affordability—for around 150 YTL, you can acquire enough materials to make thousands of designs.
Every art has a single, crucial aspect. What is necessary in order to be successful at marbling?
A marbling can be created with paint in only a few minutes time. Before that, however, a lengthy period of suffering and trial is necessary. Hundreds of years of tradition lie behind the marbling artist. In order to endure this, passion is necessary above all else. And the patience that bestows endurance is hidden within that passion itself.
Ebristanbul
Ebristanbul is a reflection of an imaginary world on the surface of water. It consists of the transportation of silhouettes of Istanbul, this unique city, enveloped by the sea, which unites two continents. The works included in the collection were first displayed at the Decatur House Museum in Washington D.C. Later, a total of 119 works were displayed in Istanbul at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.
“A marbling can be created with paint in only a few minutes time. Before that, however, a lengthy period of suffering and trial is necessary. Hundreds of years of tradition lie behind the marbling artist. In order to endure this, passion is necessary above all else.”
“Each marbling is unique, one of a kind, a single design which cannot be repeated. They are like fingerprints. Therefore, marbling artists prefer not to sign their names to their works. I sign my own works ‘Hikmet-i Hûda’ (God’s Wisdom). I describe the art of marbling better in this way.”
“I have worked to expand the use of marbling in many different areas. In particular, I have tried to demonstrate that marbling can be used as a painting technique on every type of surface—glass, ceramic, metal, wood, fabric, what have you. One of the best methods of preserving an art is to introduce it into daily life. As an old saying goes, “Talent depends on attention, goods without a customer are lost...”
“The only thing that I knew about the art was that it involved water and paint. Nevertheless, my interest in the secret methods of the marbling masters continued to increase, and I began to try to learn by myself through experimentation. It was as though a secret beauty had come to me alone, and the passion that first filled me then has persevered without diminishing in the slightest.”
In Istanbul
www.istanbul.com/inistanbul
