Cultural projection in Feridun Oral's illustrations: A semiotic analysis

Semiology is a method that explains the meaning systems used in various branches of art by addressing the connection between the signifier and the signified. Thanks to this approach, the hidden meanings of texts and objects can be revealed. Among those who use the cultural conveying function of visual signs in the modern age are children's literature writers and illustrators. The analysis of cultural signs in children's literature provides the opportunity to monitor cultural changes by shaping the meaning-making processes. The basic research questions aimed to be answered in this study are as follows: 1. How does the semiotic method contribute to the meaning of visual texts in children's literature books?, 2. Which cultural signs, especially those belonging to Turkish culture, come to the fore in children's literature works?, 3. How do the preservation and transfer of cultural elements take place in the context of children's literature in the modernization process?. In this context, twenty-three story books written and illustrated by Feridun Oral were selected as a sample. The cover designs of the selected story books were evaluated in detail in the context of basic and implicit meaning relationships, the cultural codes in the texts were analyzed and interpreted in the light of visual signs. Interpreting the indicators encountered in books prepared for children, who are the first addressees of cultural codes, provides the opportunity to follow the dynamism of culture. The research results reveal that the visuals in children's literature books play a decisive role in the cultural transmission process. In addition, the adaptation processes of cultural indicators to modern life and the transformation mechanisms were evaluated comprehensively in line with the findings of the research.