The symbols in the post-republican Turkish painting

Symbol, having a universal language beyond time and space, has been a concept since the prehistoric ages, on which many of philosophers, artists and art-historians have harped interestedly. Symbol, during its entire time courses up untill today from the early primitive ages of men, has played an active role by being easily comprehensible and being able to leave a lasting impact on politics, economy, belief systems, wars and peaces, science and art. However, playing a crucial role on all of the art forms, symbol that we come across in every step of life has been merely analyzed under some short titles in art history despite of its importance. In addition to this fact, it has become evident as a result of a preliminary examination made that there is not a single research on the topic "Symbol in Turkish Painting", particularly on "Symbol in Turkish Painting in the Post-Republican Era". Accordingly, the use of symbol in Turkish Painting after the Republican Era has been put on the focal point of the research to be made. In this study, it has been used the descriptive method for determining the current case. In probing the topic comprehensively, in the first part, it will be primarily examined concepts pointed under the description, the classification and the conceptualization of symbol and mostly confused with each other. Secondly, some works created by European artists who made their profound marks on the whole art world and used symbols in their works will be scrutinized in terms of symbolic manner, and at this phase, information and sources acquired as a result of the field work titled "Symbol in European Painting", fulfilled by the researcher visiting many museums abroad. Later, the aim will be to make a conclusion by the examination of Turkish Painting after the Republican Era being situated in the focal point of the research, and selected works having a symbolic manner of expression. The objective of the conclusion part is to probe how meaning or expression that symbol/s, being preferred by the artist as a manner of expression in terms of aesthetic value and content, reaches or converts in the art of painting makes sense from the point of viewers. Keywords: Image, Symbol, Symbol, Painting, Turkish Painting