Turkish paper cutting art (kati') in Ottoman and its reflections on today's artists – case study

Turkish paper cutting art is one of the important art branches partaking in our traditional arts. This branch of art, which is included in the Ottoman art at the beginning of the 16th century, began to be forgotten starting from the end of the 18th century, since there weren't many representatives of it. There is even very limited number of written sources in our day, and it is quite difficult to reach to these sources. The development of Turkish paper cutting art in Ottoman, its representatives and artworks, and also today's artists and their artworks are given place in this study. Explanations regarding the definitions of art, traditional arts and Turkish paper cutting art, and the place of it within the traditional arts are made in the first section. History of the Turkish paper cutting art and its development in Ottoman, artworks reaching the present day, and materials and ornamentation issues are touched upon in the second section along with the performers of the Turkish paper cutting art. Education of Turkish paper cutting art, styles and frequently made mistakes, and information on styles and artworks of artists are given place in the light of interviews made with the performers of the Turkish paper cutting art in the third section. This thesis has the characteristics of a step taken for handing down the Turkish paper cutting art, which starts to revive, to next generations correctly. Key Words: Turkish Paper Cutting Art, Paper Cutting, Paper, Traditional Art, and Quilling Art