Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF) Graphic Design Department Prof. Dr. Erol Yıldır's solo exhibition titled "Erol Yıldır's Horses" opened at Gelişim Art Gallery. Exhibition curator Prof. Dr. İsmet Çavuşoğlu, in his opening speech, touched upon the place and importance of Yıldır's horses and the horse figure in the history of art. The exhibition "Horses of Erol Yıldır", which attracted great interest, will be open to art lovers until October 30.
EROL YILDIR'S HORSES
Press release
When we look at the history of art, we see that almost every artist has a horse image in their subjects, and it would not be an exaggeration to state that horse/horses are perhaps the most used image in compositions. Starting from famous artists Paolo Uccello, Leonardo da Vinci, Theodore Gericault, Van Dyck, Peter Rubens, Rudolf Koller, Pablo Picasso etc. We can talk about horse masters such as Horse drawings by Turkish painters, especially starting with Ottoman miniatures, the painter next to Fatih - Hasan Rıza, later Avni Arbaş, Cemal Tollu, İbrahim Çallı, Refik Epikman, Cihat Burak and more recently Süleyman Saim Tezcan and Fevzi Karakoç's paintings are also important. made contributions. Due to the fact that the subjects are more conceptual in the contemporary art period, differentiations are seen, but still, horses appear as indispensable elements. Horses have always been the closest to humans. Until the second world war, that is, until the development of war technology, there are no wars without horses. They are used in agriculture, transport, horse racing, etc. They are the most used and the most loved animals with their physical beauty.
Prof. dr. Erol Yıldır's love for horses begins in his childhood. This love led him to examine all the movements and characteristics of horses and to use them as a subject in his art. The freedom and beautiful movements of the horses are dynamically included in all of the artist's works, sometimes as a single, sometimes as a double, triple or multiple. The artist, who chose a realistic expression in his earlier periods, shows that in his recent works, horses are again monumental in compositions, while this time he exhibits more free/expressionist behaviors in space and harmonies. It exhibits a work in accordance with today's art. Choosing large sizes in all his works as a format, glorifying horses is proof that his love for them is unlimited. While Erol is making horse drawings in a scientific framework and systematically, he comes across with determined works as an artist who has examined and evaluated all the horse paintings seen in the history of art. Although sometimes metamorphoses and intense improvisations are seen in his production, there is also a unity in its essence and a richness of expression in terms of plastic. Although the places where the horses are found in Erol's paintings are naturally considered as outdoor abstractions, in the end, they are the places where the horses feel free and the best. The contrasts he used in his harmonies also strengthen the expression. Although the horses and the human figure are not included in his paintings, the artist has chosen a narrative that he believes will be monumental, powerful and more effective by keeping the relations with the human in the background.
As a result, we see that an expressive and dynamic description is exhibited by using its own subjective expression language in the image of the horse, which is based on improvisation and does not completely break away from nature and the object. Prof.Dr., who has been drawing horse compositions consistently until now. Erol Yıldır will be remembered as an important artist and educator who uses horse images in today's Turkish painting and who has devoted his art to horses.
Best wishes for continued success...
CURATOR
prof. Dr. Ismet Cavusoglu
Istanbul Gelisim University
Faculty of Fine Arts, Graphic Design Department Lecturer / Painter
