Osman Hamdi Bey – An Ottoman Empire Painter

Osman Hamdi Bey was born 30th December 1842 in Constantinople, modern day Istanbul Turkey, during the Ottoman Empire.

Wikipedia states that Osman Hamdi Bey was “an Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter.  He was also an accomplished archaeologist, and is regarded as the pioneer of the museum curator’s profession in Turkey.

He was the founder of Istanbul Archaeology Museums and of Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi in Turkish), known today as the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts.”

‘Lady Having Her Hair Combed by a Servant’ shown above is an exquisite artwork worthy of its historical value and tender delicacy.  I believe The Dolmabahçe Palace may still be exhibiting ‘Lady Having Her Hair Combed by a Servant’.

For the Wikipedia link to visit The Dolmabahçe Palace please click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolmabah%C3%A7e_Palace

‘Lady In Yellow Dress Arranging Flowers In A Vase’

Above we see a lady beautifying a sitting area.  One knee bent alludes to a serving attitude whilst looking upwards, channeling her spiritual consideration and deferential poise.  Real flowers cleverly merge contextually with the florally patterned couch.  An elaborate symbolic replication of the pinkish-white flowers imitates her lithe, servient inclination.

 

The lady reaches outwards, extending her left foot to attend to her wholesome duty.  There is artistic evaluation within her head posing, wholly reflecting the creative nature of her pretty decorative arrangement.

‘Ladies Taking A Walk Holding Umbrellas’ shown immediately above has to be one of the finest artworks you can view, display or own.

 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir meets Osman Hamdi Bey.

 

The realist quality, colour composition, masterful use of canvas, glorious shading, far-ground Renaissance trees’ styling and sense of feeling throughout encapsulates the phrase Beyond Words, perfectly.

 

Perfection to the amplification of millions.

‘At The Mosque Entrance’ shown immediately above.

John William Waterhouse meets Osman Hamdi Bey in ‘At The Mosque Entrance’.

With the incredibly high prices certain art pieces attain – the ‘Salvator Mundi’ by Da Vinci being the existing summa omnium temporum – I believe this particular artwork also has spiritual merit. 

You can view the ‘Salvator Mundi’ by Da Vinci here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvator_Mundi_(Leonardo)

For additional reading about Osman Hamdi Bey please research the article ‘Making Sense of Osman Hamdi Bey and His Paintings’ by Edhem Eldem:

https://archnet.org/system/publications/contents/10813/original/DTP103198.pdf?1484324613

Additional research resource by Eldem, link here:

http://www.ottomanlands.com/sites/default/files/pdf/EldemEssay_0.pdf

This blog article was produced with the kind permission of art blogging website ‘Fine Art and You’.  A link to their original article including further Osman Hamdi Bey paintings can be viewed here:

http://www.fineartandyou.com/2018/06/osman-hamdi-bey-ottoman-empire-painter.html

Here is the ‘Fine Art and You’ homepage link, as follows, for your convenience: http://www.fineartandyou.com/

Osman Hamdi Bey’s Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osman_Hamdi_Bey

The idea of exactly what spirituality is varies from person to person.  ‘Life itself is a spiritual experience propagated within us as individual human beings.’

‘Life – The Purest Art form.’