1940-1950 Arası Türkiye'de Kültür ve Sanat

Abstract

The cultural and artistic milieu of the 1940s Turkey was evaluated in the light of political, socioeconomic advancements, and a ten-year period was covered in this study. The period between the years of 1940-1950 corresponds to İsmet İnönü's presidency and a period when the Republican People’s party (CHP) was in power. The World War II, which took place between the years of 1939 and 1945, had a profound impact on Turkey, despite the fact that it maintained its non-combatant stance until the very end. Educating society and raising the cultural level were regarded as the most important issues during the years when the war economy was implemented and significant advances were made in the fields of education and culture. The government sponsored art and followed it with great enthusiasm. Successful works in science, literature, and art were awarded. Numerous exhibitions have been organized by various institutions and artistic formations, in addition to the government-sponsored exhibitions. The statesmen who attended the exhibition openings encouraged the general public to come in contact with art. Efforts were made to increase knowledge of art and promote it across society, initially with the State Academy of Fine Arts, which was the only institution training artists at the time, and with the Gazi Education Institute Department of Art, the Girls' Art Schools, Village Institutes, and Community Centers. The discussions on national/public art gained momentum during these years, when introversion and a return to national art were felt as a result of World War II. The agenda has been set by topics such as the issues of art representation in the art milieu, private and governmental financial support for artists, the necessity for exhibition venues, the issues of art criticism and critics, and old-new art debates. Decorative arts and handicrafts acquired prominence throughout this period, in which artist groups/associations/unions were engaged. National motifs were integrated in the paintings and the artists shifted their attention away from subject repertoire centered around Istanbul and toward Anatolian realities and people of Anatolia. Keywords: 1940s Turkey, World War II, CHP, National Art, Art Institutions and Events