The female imagery in the contemporary Turkish painting and original print works

This thesis aims to examine female imagery in the contemporary Turkish painting and original print works through analysis of select artwork from three periods: Turkish pre-republic art period, the Republic era period and the period from 1980s to the present day. As for the original print works, women figures and female imagery in selected exlibris works from the republic era and the era from after 1990 to this day were analysed. Art is a symbol for conveying and disseminating messages to masses during social transformations. Decisions and actions of an individual are influenced by the values of the culture s/he lives in. The visual images in artwork reflect and symbolize certain needs, values and meanings; as well as create the reasons for change. From this point of view, it is important to understand the elements that make up an artwork. The female imagery in artwork from different periods of history doesn't show fixed features. It usually bears traces of the social values, beliefs and technological developments of the era it belongs to. Artists reflect in their works the issues and social changes of their times as well as how they feel about them. An artist first discovers himself/herself, and then expresses his/her inner conflicts through his/her art. This study takes a chronological look at the short history of female imagery in the contemporary Turkish painting and original print works, with a focus on artwork created during the transition periods. It also seeks to investigate the approaches within the framework of social, political and masculine aspects of the view on women.