Research Information System
ART AND INTERPRETATION, pp.12-23, 2022 (ESCI, TRDizin)
Seref Akdik's painting Ataturk on the Excavation Site of Ahlatl & imath;bel (1933) presents the Turkish History Survey Association's group portrait as the representation of national histograhy. Re & scedil;it Galip, Nevzat Tandogan, Yusuf Hikmet Bayur, Afet & Idot;nan, Yusuf Akcura, and Hamit Zubeyr Ko & scedil;ay who are portraied in the painting are public figures who contribututed to the Association. The artifacts retrieved from the excavation were a part of the Second Turkish History Congress Exhibition (1937), and emphasized the painting's content. The painting is a rare example where archeology represents the national identity. During the 1930s, anthropology and archeology were supported by the government and used for constructing a new national historiography. Both were developing simultaneously, producing data for the national history. The painting is a group portrait of the scientists and bureaucrats working on these fields to construct the national history. The painting has been referred to only by its date in literature; however, there is no in-depth research on it. A feature of the painting is its documentary style. This paper is based on the excavations' preliminary studies, the memoirs of the scientists, articles of the period, drawings, and photographs of the excavation site. By this means, Akdik's documentary style and composition are discussed.