Fikret Mualla 1903-1967

By Nisan İğdem

Fikret Mualla, Jazz Players (Cazcılar), 1950. (http://www.leblebitozu.com/fikret-muallanin-rengarenk-23-eseri-ve-hayati/).

One of the most important Turkish artists from the 20th century, Fikret Mualla, was not only under the spotlight because of his Fauvist-inspired paintings, but also for his unconventional lifestyle for an Ottoman man.

Fikret Mualla was born in 1903 in Istanbul but his specific birthdate is not known. He was educated in French high schools in Istanbul. During this time, he lost his mother and witnessed his father marry someone just a couple of years older than himself. His problems with this marriage made his departure to study engineering in Zurich seems like a definite separation from his family, which was later reflected in his art.

After Switzerland, he moved to Germany after World War I. As a person passionate about his freedom, Fikret Mualla decided to drop engineering and become involved in arts. At that time he did not have a care about the world, he was solely focused on his art. However, he also was not interested in contemporary artistic movements, which helped him create his own style.

In 1928, Mualla fell sick due to alcoholism and admitted himself in a mental health hospital in Berlin. He then decided to move to Paris to continue making art. The Parisian lifestyle including cafés, parties, and circuses inspired his art. He took that lifestyle with him when he returned to Turkey in 1932 and became friends with the famous soprano Semiha Berksoy. From that point onwards, he went back and forth between France and Turkey.

Similar to Fauvism, Mualla’s works consisted of vibrant colours. He depicts people as their most extravagant selves: in circuses and gatherings. He also depicts happy families as an ode to his own unhappy family. He gained much popularity in Paris, even catching the attention of Pablo Picasso.

Fikret Mualla’s alcoholism got worse over time. He started trading his works for bottles of alcohol and making violent scenes in the streets. He was admitted to a mental health hospital once again and had liver problems. He died in 1967 in a nursing home after having a nervous breakdown.

Bibliography

‘Fikret Mualla Saygı’, biyografi.info. Accessed October 28, 2019. http://www.biyografi.info/kisi/fikret-mualla-saygi.

İlkbahar, Recep. “Delinin Biri: Fikret Mualla, Sanat Bulur” Medium. Accessed October 28, 2019. https://medium.com/sanatbulur/delinin-biri-fikret-mualla-5a185167ca74.