Abidin Dino

>Abidin Dino 2005-05-21T16:11:33Z CeeGee '''Abidin Dino''', (1913 - 1993) was a [[Turkey|Turkish]] [[artist]] and a well-known [[painter]]. ==Early years== He was born on [[March 23]], [[1913]] in [[Istanbul]] into a family who loved art. He started drawing and painting at a young age influenced by his family. As a child he lived in [[Geneve]], [[Switzerland]] and [[France]] for several years with his parents, returning to Istanbul in [[1925]]. Dino began his secondary education at the American highschool [[Robert College of Istanbul]], but dropped out to devote himself to painting, drawing and writing. His articles and [[cartoon]]s were soon being published in newspapers and magazines, and in [[1933]] he and five other young innovative painters founded the ?[[List of Turkish painters|Group D]]?, which held several exhibitions of their work. At around the same time, he illustrated [[Nazim Hikmet|Nazım Hikmet]]?s books of poetry In 1933, the [[Soviet]] [[director]] [[Sergei Yutkevich]], who had made a film about [[Ankara]], invited Dino to the Lenfil Studios in [[Leningrad]], and with [[Ataturk|Atatürk]]'s encouragement Dino accepted. In Leningrad, he worked as a [[scenery designer]] and assistant director at several film studios, and directed a film called "''Miners''" in [[Moscow]], [[Kiev]] and [[Odessa]]. Shortly after returning to Turkey, he went to [[Paris]], France where he worked from [[1937]] to [[1939]], meeting such famous artists as [[Gertrude Stein]], [[Tristan Tzara]] and [[Picasso]]. Following his return to Istanbul again, he participated in the famous "Harbor Exhibition", consisting of paintings of the city's dockworkers and fishermen by well-known Turkish painters of the time. The exhibition aroused widespread public interest, and that year Dino was asked to design the Turkish pavilion at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]]. Meanwhile, he published articles and cartoons in several of the foremost magazines of that time, studying a new approach to [[realism]] together with his elder brother [[poet]] Arif Dino. During [[World War II]], he did drawings inspired by the conflict, but his treatment of political subjects in wartime aroused official hackles, and in [[1941]] the [[martial law]] command of Istanbul exiled him and his elder brother to southeastern [[Anatolia]], where their grandfather was governor before. The years of exile until [[1945]] were artistically very productive for Dino. While his young wife Guzin Dino taught [[French language|French]] at Adana High School, he worked for a local newspaper, producing articles and drawings that illustrated with poetic realism of the hard lives and working conditions of agricultural laborers in the region. It was here that he wrote his plays "''Bald''" and "''Heirs''", and began doing [[sculpture]]. In [[1951]], he was allowed to leave Turkey. So he went first to [[Rome]], [[Italy]] where he stayed nine months, but settled then in Paris in [[1952]]. ==Paris days== Within a short time, the home of Guzin and Abidin Dino in Paris became the haunt of many famous artists and writers. The couple first moved into the studio on the top floor of [[Max Ernst]]'s apartment on the quay of [[Saint Michel]], and later to a small flat in [[L'Eure]]. Their foreign and Turkish friends, including Nazim Hikmet, [[Yasar Kemal|Yaşar Kemal]], [[Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar]] and [[Melih Cevdet]], found the opportunity to meet one another at the Dino?s home. The Dinos were also always ready with a helping hand for young Turkish painters and students in Paris, introducing them to world famous masters, and assisting them to get established. For eight years from [[1954]], Abidin Dino participated in the "Salon de Mai" exhibitions in Paris, while Guzin Dino produced programmes for Radio France, taught [[Turkish language|Turkish]] at the Oriental Languages Department of the [[Sorbonne]], and did French translations of Turkish literature. ==Unforgettable friendship== Although Abidin Dino lived abroad, he never severed relations with Turkey and his friends there, and took a close interest in everything that occurred, particularly in the political field. He was always delighted to cooperate with other artists and writers, writing prefaces and drawing illustrations for his friends' books with unbounded generosity. After more than a decade's absence he visited Turkey in [[1969]] to open an exhibition of his work. From then on he came more frequently, participating in both one-person and mixed exhibitions. In [[1979]] he was elected honorary president of the National Union of the Visual Arts (UNAP) in France. His film "''Goal''" ([[1966]]) was a spectacular tribute to his visual sensitivity and brought him the "Flaherty prize". This film about the [[Football World Cup 1966]] final is a documentary that did not confine itself to [[football]] matches, but included fascinating footage of people in [[London]] and elsewhere in [[England]]. ==Master of drawing== Abidin Dino was interested in everything that was alive, skillfully capturing images with his brush, pencil and camera. He had two favorite themes: hands and flowers. In a book of small drawings, which he did for his wife Guzin published on the tenth anniversary of his death, glimpses of the love and sense of solidarity are seen, which were his inspiration. Entitled "''Guzin's Abidins''", this book consists of drawings and essays by Abidin Dino. One may come across his name in numerous art galleries and museums around the world, in a [[poem]], the [[lyrics]] of a song, or a book. He is not only one of the pioneers of modern Turkish painting, but produced masterful works in such disparate fields as [[caricature]], sculpture, [[ceramics]], cinema, and literature. Dino died on [[December 7]], [[1993]] at the Villejuif Hospital in Paris. He laid to rest in the Aşiyan Cemetery in Istanbul. [[Category:1913 births|Dino, Abidin]] [[Category:1993 deaths|Dino, Abidin]] [[Category:Turkish artists|Dino, Abidin]] [[Category:Turkish painters|Dino, Abidin]]