painting the words
the series experiments at the intersection of painting and graphic design with literature by employing typography, trying to establish a conceptual relationship between meaning and form, by painting widely known latin aphorisms and quotations from the books; shaping images with the texts written on large canvases. through its form or color, each painting conveys a certain aspect of the book, symbolizing either its meaning or its feeling. the quotations coming from a wide array of sources, -mystical codes, political sermons, lyric poems, early modern utopia and contemporary dystopia, are depicted in parallel to their variety as inscriptions, diaries, graffities, gothic or ottoman manuscripts, maps, or even playing cards. the images on the canvases, become the illustrations for the texts or become visual texts themselves. each painting retells its own story, rather different from the one next to it; in content, meaning, type, style or form, like the books on the shelves of a bookcase. and the viewer is invited to step in and explore this personal visual library
the series contains 38 paintings
200813 / “the clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order “ / quotations from chapters 6, 8 and 9 / samuel p. huntington, 1997 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200901 / “brave new world“ / quotation from section 1, “brave new world” / aldous huxley, 1932 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200902 / “my name is red“ / quotations from chapters 28 and 46 / orhan pamuk, 1998 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200903 / “epic poem of national forces“ / quotations from “the opening” and section 8 / nazım hikmet, 1941 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200904 / “the power of kabbalah“ / quotation from the appendix / yehuda berg, 2001 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200905 / “nineteen eighty-four“ / quotations from sections ı and ııı / george orwell, 1949 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200906 / “le petit prince“ / quotations from chapters ıv, v, vııı and xxı / antoine de saint-exupéry, 1946 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200907 / “memed, my hawk“ / quotation from volume ı, chapter 7 / yaşar kemal, 1955 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
201002 / “thus spoke zarathustra” / quotations from part 3.3 , “of ınvoluntary bliss” / friedrich nietzsche, 1885 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
201003 / “utopia” / quotations from book ı, chapter 1,4 and book ıı, chapters 1,2,3,5,6,8 / thomas more, 1516 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
201004 / “toward a psychology of being “ / quotations from part v ‘values’ / chapter “psychological data and human values” / abraham maslow, 1962
oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
201005 / “veinte poemas de amor y una cancion desesperada” / chapter “veinte poemas de amor” / poema xx “puedo escribir los versos mas tristes esta noche” / pablo neruda, 1924 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200908 / “the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects” / quotations from the chapter “the others” / marshall mcluhan, quentin fiore, 1967 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
200909 / “the english patient“ / quotations from sections ıv, v, vııı, ıx / michael ondaatje, 1992 / oil painting on canvas
120 x 150 cm
201007 / “l’eloge de la folie” / quotations from chapitre “déclamation: c’est la folie qui parle” / desiderius erasmus, 1509 / oil painting on canvas
150 x 120 cm
201008 / “le périple de baldassare” / citations des cahiers ı, ıı, ııı et ıv / amin maalouf, 2000 / oil painting on canvas
150 x 120 cm
201009 / “liar’s poker“ / quotations from chapter 4 “adult education” / michael lewis, 1989 / oil painting on canvas
150 x 120 cm
201010 / “the alchemist“ / quotations from the introduction / paulo coelho, 1988 / oil painting on canvas
150 x 120 cm
201013 / “the prince“ / quotations from chapters 6, 8, 17 and 22 / niccolo machiavelli, 1505 / oil painting on canvas
150 x 120 cm
201006 / “the art of loving: an enquiry into the nature of love” / chapter ıı “the theory of love” quotations from sections 1 and 2 / erich fromm, 1956
oil painting on canvas
150 x 120 cm