Muammer Tiyatrosu Karaca 10 7EPEL&MVWIP˽WXERFYP4EVMWOMXEFRHE˽WXERFYPIR - XIPMNERWM]EWMʼMRHIFMVHˊRIQ]E]KRPE̤ERHMHSRWE - OEPRHERFELWIHIV%VHRHERWˊ^ˎ1IRKˎ)VXIPƅI KIXMVMV ƈ&MVEVE1IRKˎ)VXIPHIHMHSRWEOEPPEFS] KˊWXIVQM̤XMVƉ ̣ ˎTLIWM^FMVWEREXʼ]ZISRYRHˎR]EWRIPIEPVOIR WEOEPRHERFE̤PEQEOMPKMRʼKˊVˎRIFMPMV*EOEX]MRI 7EPEL&MVWIPƅMRHˎ̤ˎRGIWM]PIFEOEGEOSPYVWEOOˎPXˎ - VIPKˊVˎRKˎPIVQSHEPEVNIWXPIVZI]E̤EQFMʼMQPIVM MRWERRMʼMRHIFYPYRHYˮYXEVMLWIP^EQERHERZIMPM̤ - OMPIVEˮRHERWˎ^ˎPˎTKIPMV ƅPIVHIWˎVIR/VQ 7EZE̤ƅRR˽WXERFYPƅYFˎXˎRˎ]PIIXOMWMEPXREEPHˮ KˎRPIVHIOIRXMOY̤EXER]EPR^GEWEZE̤HIˮMPSRYR FIVEFIVMRHIKIXMVHMˮMOˎPXˎVIPIXOMPIVHM3KˎRPIV - HI˽WXERFYPƅEKIPIR*VERW^EWOIVPIVMRMROYPPERHˮ *VERW^GEHMWHSRGƂƈWˊ]PIWIRIƉƂMJEHIWMSRPEVR WEOEPFMʼMQPIVMRMRXEOQEEHREHˊRˎ̤Xˎ˽WXERFYP - PYPEVFYXEV^EƈHMHSRƉEHR]EO̤XVH FYEWOIVPIVMR 7EPEL&MVWIPMRLMWFSSO ˽WXERFYP4EVMW , mentions the “didon” beard that spread for a time among the Is- tanbul intelligentsia. He then turns his attention to Mengü Ertel: “For a while Mengü Ertel too appeared with a didon beard.” Undoubtedly, to begin with a beard when taking up an artist and his world may seem odd. Yet if we look again through 7 alah & irsel ƅ s line of thought, G ultural phenomena, fashions, gestures and ways of life are ǖ ltered down from the histori G al time and the web of relations in which a person is situated. In the days when the Crimean War being waged in the 1850s brought Istanbul entirely under its in Ǘ uence, what encircled the city was not only the war but the cul- tural effects it brought with it. The French phrase dis donc “say, tell me” used by the French soldiers who came to Istanbul in those days turned into a nick- name for their style of beard. Istanbulites ǖ tted this « Ęŭ)ŭ) Ň'/Ň- Ã). )ŭ*' - & )"Ň-/ ' )"Ň-/ ' . 0'/0- '$"0- *! $.- #$-*' / 11 FVEOXˮWEOEPFMʼMQMHIFYRHERFˊ] - PIƈHMHSRWEOEPƉHM]IERPH /Y̤OYWY^ ]ˎ^]P˽WXERFYPƅYRHER ]ˎ^]PEZI]ˎ^]PRSVXEPEVREY^E - RERHˊRIQIFEOXˮQ^HEWEREX]E̤E - QHEFE̤PFE̤REFMVHˊRˎ̤ˎQQE - GIVEWSPEVEOOEV̤Q^EʼOEV˽RWER FMV]ERHEROIRHMWMRMQI]HEREKIXM - VIROˎPXˎVIPZIXSTPYQWEPOS̤YPPEVR ˎVˎRˎHˎV FMV]ERHERHEFMVI]WIPEVE - ]̤PEV]PEYPE̤XˮIZVIRWIPLEXXEOMQM ^EQERFEWORZIIKIQIROˎPXˎVPIVMR IXOMWMEPXRHEFMʼMQPIRMV /EPHOM&MVWIPƅMRFMVXIWEHˎJKMFMEO - XEVHˮFYWEOEPE]VRXWEWPRHE OIRHMXI^MRMRXEOIRHMWMRMHSˮVYPEV ʼˎROˎ)VXIPƅMREMPIWMHIXTOHMHSR WEOEPRR/VQ7EZE̤ƅRHERWˎ^ˎPˎT KIPQIWMKMFM ]ˎ^]PWSRY3WQER - PƅWRRWEZE̤PEVRHERFˎVSOVEWMWMR - HIRZIMOXMWEHMʼˊOˎ̤ˎRHIRWˎ^ˎPˎT KIPQM̤FMVEMPI]HM1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMR]E - ̤ EQRHˎ̤ˎRˎVOIRHIEMPIWMRMEMPI OˊOPIVMRMOIRHMLE]EXRZIWEREX EVEGPˮ]PEYPE̤XˮFˎXˎROˎPXˎVIP ZIXSTPYQWEPʼIZVIPIVMFMVPMOXIIPIEP - QEOKIVIOMV&YRPEVRFMVOWQFM^ - ^EXOEV̤PE̤XˮMRWERPEVZIMʼMRIKMV - HMˮMOˎPXˎVʼIZVIPIVMHMV&MVOWQRE MWIQIXMRPIVZI]E̤EHˮʼEˮROˎPXˎV ˎVˎRPIVM]SPY]PEYPE̤Q̤XV&ˎXˎRFY ʼIVʼIZIFMVEVEHEHIˮIVPIRHMVMPHMˮMR - HIFIPOMHIXIOFMVWEREXʼHER]SPE ʼOEVEOFˎXˎRFMVOˎPXˎVHˎR]EWRR TERSVEQEWSVXE]EʼOEV 1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMR)]PˎP ƅXI0I]PE 2I]^Mƅ]IʼSGYOPYˮY]E̤EQZILEX - VEPEVˎ^IVMRIZIVHMˮMWˊ]PI̤MWEREXʼ - ]ERPEQEOFEOQRHERKIVʼIOXIRʼSO HIˮIVPMFMVOM̤MWIPERPEXQIXRMHMV)VXIP FYQIXMRHIHSˮHYˮYʼIZVIHIRʼSGYO - PYˮYREEMPIWMRMROˊOPIVMRHIR'YQLYVM - ]IXƅMRMPO]PPEVRHEOMOYVYQPEVEQELEP - PIWMRHIR]E̤EQSVXEQREZIHIRIHMˮM IˮMXMQOYVYQPEVREOEHEVY^ERERLE]E - XRERPEXV%VHRHERFMVPMOXI]E̤EHˮ FSLIQʼIZVIPIVI WEREXʼPEVZIOˎPXˎV MRWERPEV]PEHSPY ƅPIV˽WXERFYPƅYRYR FSLIQZI]EVEXGIZVIRMRI ƅPEV - PEFMVPMOXIFE̤PE]ERTSPMXMOZIXSTPYQ - WEP]SˮYRPYˮY]ˎOWIOOˎPXˎVIPˎVIXMQ HˊRIQMRI FYHˊRIQMRMRWERPEVREZI ˎVˎRPIVMRIKIPMVʳPOIHI ƅPIVPIFMV - PMOXIFE̤PE]ERTSPMXMOFEWOZIOESW]P - PEVRRIXOMPIVMRMZIƅPIVIOEHEVMʼ MʼI]E̤EHˮHˊRIQPIVMHI]MRIFYER - PEXHEHMPIKIXMVMV ˽RWERFE^IROIRHM]E̤EQRHEFE^IR HI]EOREOVEFEPEVRRHIRI]MQPIVMRHI FMVHˊRIQMRFˎXˎRLMOʷ]IWMRMXSTEVPE - ]EFMPMV1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMREMPIWMRMRHI3W - QERPƅRRWSR]PPEVRHEOMˊRIQPMHˊ - Rˎ̤ˎQPIVMRRIVIHI]WILIVFMVMRIFMV ]IVMRHIRXIQEWIXXMˮMHˊRIQMRXERO - POPEVREHʷLMPSPHYˮYKˊVˎPˎV %RRIWM2EMQI,ERQ3WQERPHˊRI - QMRMRIWOMQIVOI^OYQERHERPEVRHER ̣ EQP'IZEX4E̤EƅRRXSVYRPEVRHER - HV(IRM^GMPMO&EROEWRHEOʷXMTPMO]E - TERʳWOˎHEVPFEFEW1YLPMW&I]MWI style with the name “didon”; the beard shape these soldiers left behind was thenceforth called the “didon beard.” Without doubt, when we look at the pe- riod stretching from nineteenth-century Istanbul into the twentieth century and toward the middle of the century, artis- tic life too confronts us as an adven- ture of transformation in its own right. A person is, on one hand, the product of the cultural and social conditions that produce him; on the other, he is shaped under the in Ǘ uence of the uni- versal and at times even dominant and hegemonic cultures he reaches through his individual searches. ;LEXMWQSVIXLMWHIXEMPSJXLIFIEVH [LMGL&MVWIPVIPE]WEWMJF]GLERGIEG - XYEPP]GSRǖVQWLMWZIV]XLIWMW JSV)V - XIPƅWJEQMP]XSSNYWXEWXLIHMHSRFIEVH [EWǖPXIVIHHS[RJVSQXLI'VMQIER;EV [EWEJEQMP]ǖPXIVIHHS[RJVSQXLI [EVWXLIFYVIEYGVEG]ERHXLIIGSRSQ - MGGSPPETWISJXLIPEXI - RMRIXIIRXL - GIR - XYV]3XXSQER)QTMVI When thinking about Mengü Ertel’s life, too, one must consider together his family, his family roots, his own life, and all the cultural and social milieus he reached through his art. Some of these are people he personally encountered and cultural circles he entered. 3 thers he reached through texts and the cultural prod- ucts of the age he lived in. When this whole frame is assessed together, per- haps the panorama of an entire cultur- al world emerges from a single artist as its starting point. The interview Mengü Ertel gave to Ley- la Neyzi on 12 September 1995 about his childhood, life and memories is truly a very valuable personal-narrative text for understanding the artist. In this text Ertel recounts his life stretching from the milieu into which he was born to his childhood, from his family’s roots to the institutions of the early Repub- lic, from his neighbourhood to his living environment and the educational insti- tutions he tried. He then comes to the bohemian circles he lived among; to the bohemian and creative universe of 1950s Istanbul, full of artists and peo- ple of culture; to the period of cultur- ally productive, politically and social - ly intense output that began with the 1960s; to the people and products of that period. He also gives voice, in this same narrative, to the effects of the years of political repression and cha- os that began in the 1980s and to the periods he lived through, intertwined, up to the 2000s. Sometimes a person can gather the whole story of an era in his own life, and sometimes in the experiences of his close relatives. It is seen that Mengü Ertel’s family, too, touched at some point nearly every one of the import- ant transformations of the 3 ttoman 12 1IRKˎLIRˎ^ʼSOOˎʼˎO]E̤XE]OIRLE - ]EXROE]FIXQM̤XMV%RRIWMZIFEFEW OY̤OYWY^SRYRLE]EXRHEOMMPOZIIR ˊRIQPMMOMOM̤MHMV %RRIXEVEJRHERHIHIPIVMRHIR2IGMT &I]MQTEVEXSVPYˮYR ]ˎ^]PWSRYR - HEMʼMRIWˎVˎOPIRHMˮMMOXMWEHMFYLVERR ˊRIQPMYRWYVPEVRHERFMVMSPER*VERW^ XˎXˎRJMVQEWRHEQIQYVSPEVEOʼEP̤ - Q̤ZIFYHˊRIQMRLEJ^EWRXE̤Q̤ - XV)RZIV4E̤EƅRRSVHYWYRHEKˊVIZ - PM]OIRLE]EXROE]FIHIRHE]W7EHM &I]MPI%FHˎPLEQMHƅMRSVHYWYRHEFMR - FE̤PO]ETQ̤ʡMZVMPPMHIHIWM%PM6^E &I]HIFYEMPILMOʷ]IWMRMRHMˮIVˊRIQ - PMOM̤MPIVMHMV &YMRWERPEV WEZE̤PEVPEMOXMWEHMXEVML EVEWRHEMʼMʼIKIʼQM̤Fˎ]ˎOFMVHˊ - Rˎ̤ˎQʼEˮRHE ]ˎ^]PWSRYMPI ]ˎ^]PFE̤RHEOM3WQERPOIRXLE]EX - RRFˎVSOVEWMWMRMRWM]EWIXMRMRZIEW - OIV˃HˎR]EWRRJEVOPEPERPEVREKMVQM̤ FYVEPEVKˊVQˎ̤ZIFYOˎPXˎVˎ]E̤EQ̤ FMVEMPIHIRI]MQMWYREVPEV 1IRKˎ)VXIPMʼMR]EPR^GEMRWERPEVHIˮMP QIOʷRPEVHEWSRHˊRIQ3WQERPOIRX HSOYWYRYRMʼMRHIFMʼMQPIRQM̤FMV]E - ̤ EQOˎPXˎVˎRˎEMPI]PIFMVPMOXILE^VSPE - VEOWYRY]SVHY)VXIP ]PRHEʳW - OˎHEVƅRFMV^EQERPEV3WQERPƅRRIR OPEWMOQELEPPIPIVMRHIRFMVMSPER8STXE - ̤ WIQXMRHIOMEL̤ETFMVOSREOXEHSˮHY %MPIWMFˎXˎRFYHIRI]MQPIVHIRZILE - J^EPEVHERWˎ^ˎPˎTKIPQM̤XM*EOEXEV - XOʼˊOIR3WQERP˽QTEVEXSVPYˮYƅRYR MOXMWEHMFYLVERPEVRRZI]OQRREV - HRHERE]EˮEOEPOQE]EʼEP̤ER]IRM 'YQLYVM]IXƅMRMʼMRHI]HMPIV=IRM'YQ - LYVM]IX]IRMMRWERPEFMVPMOXI]IRMFMVXST - PYQOYVQE]EʼEP̤]SVHY1IRKˎ)VXIP HIFMV]ERHER]SOWYPPYOPEHMˮIV]ER - HERIQIOPIHSPY FMPMRQI^PMOPIVMMʼMR - HI]MRIIQIOPIOYVYPEGEO]IRMFMVˎP - OI]IZI]IRMFMV]ˎ^]PEEHQEX]SVHY 3RMOM]E̤RHE]OIRFEFEWROE]FIXXM &EFEW3WQERPƅRRIROEHMQOYVYQ - PEVRHERFMVMSPER)ZOEJHEMVIWMRMRʳW - OˎHEV̤YFIWMRHIQIQYVHY1IRKˎ )VXIPHIOˎʼˎO]E̤XEʼI̤MXPMM̤PIVHIʼE - P̤QE]EFE̤PEH&ˎXˎRFYSPEˮERˎWXˎ OS̤YPPEVRMʼMRHIR LE]EXRWSOEOPEVR GEHHIPIVMRZIMRWERLEVIOIXPMPMˮMRMRFIW - PIHMˮMʷHIXE˽WXERFYPƅYRIRFˎ]ˎOEOE - HIQMWMRHI]IXM̤IVIOFˎ]ˎHˎ 3VXESOYPHERWSRVE+ˎ^IP7EREXPEV%OE - HIQMWMRMRPMWIFˊPˎQˎRIFE̤ZYVYRGE - ]EOEHEV/EVEKˊ^S]YRPEVRHERWMRI - QE]EY^ERERKIRM̤FMVEPERHEOˎPXˎV ZIWEREXPEMPKMPMM̤PIVIZISVXEQPEVEFˎ - ]ˎOMPKMHY]HY/MVEPE]EVEOSOYHYˮYVS - QERPEVKMXXMˮMJMPQPIVZIM^PIHMˮM/EVE - Kˊ^S]YRPEV]PEZEOMXKIʼMVHM&MV]ERHER HEMPIVMHIKIPIRIOWIPKˊPKIS]YRYRYR JMKˎVPIVMRMZILEVIOIXERPE]̤RʼEˮ - HE̤KVEJMOXEWEVQPEFMVPI̤XMVQIWMRI MQOʷRZIVIGIOOˎPXˎVIP^IQMRM]EZE̤ ]EZE̤MR̤EIHM]SVHY&MVFE̤OEHI]M̤ - PI1IRKˎ)VXIPˊˮVIRQIHIRˊRGI]E - ̤ E]EVEOKMVQM̤XMFYHˎR]E]EʡSGYO - PYˮYRHE]E̤EHˮSVXEQHY]KYPEVRR Empire’s ǖ nal years and took part in the testimonies of the period. His mother, Naime Han m, was among the grandchildren of ̣ aml Cevat 4 a ̤ a, one of the former garrison command- ers of the 3 ttoman period. His father, Muhlis & ey, from ʳ sküdar, who worked as a clerk at the Maritime & ank, died when Mengü was still very young. His mother and father are, without doubt, the ǖ rst and two most important peo- ple in his life. 3 n his mother’s side, one of his grand- fathers, Necip & ey, worked as an of- ǖ cial in the French tobacco company that was one of the important elements of the economic crisis into which the empire was dragged at the end of the nineteenth century, and he carried the memory of this period. His uncle Sadi & ey, who died while serving in Enver 4 a ̤ a’s army, and his grandfather Ali R za & ey from ʡ ivril, who served as a major in Abdülhamid’s army, are the other important ǖ gures of this fami- ly story. These people offer a family experi- ence that entered, saw and lived the different domains of 3 ttoman urban life, its bureaucracy, its politics and its military world at the end of the nine- teenth and the beginning of the twen- tieth century in a great age of transfor- mation in which wars and economic history were intertwined. For Mengü Ertel, not only people but also places offered ready-made, to- gether with the family a living culture shaped within the urban fabric of the late 3 ttoman period. Ertel was born in 19 1 in a wooden mansion konak in the Topta ̤ U uarter of ʳ sküdar, once one of the most classic neighbourhoods of the 3 ttomans. His family had been ǖ l- tered down from all these experienc- es and memories. & ut now they were within the new Republic, which was trying to get back on its feet after the economic crises and the ruin of the col- lapsing 3 ttoman Empire. The new Re- public was trying to build a new society together with a new person. Mengü Er- tel too was stepping into a new coun- try and a new century to be built, once again, through labour full on one side of poverty and on the other of toil with - in its uncertainties. He lost his father at the age of twelve. His father was an o ǘ cial at the ʳ skü- dar branch of the Evkaf (Pious Founda- tions o ǘ ce, one of the most ancient institutions of the 3 ttomans. Mengü Er- tel too began at an early age to work in various jobs. 3 ut of all these extraordi- nary conditions he grew up nourished by life, by the streets, the avenues and the movement of people raised, as it were, in Istanbul’s greatest academy. Until he applied, after middle school, to the high-school section of the Academy 13 ZI^MLRMRMREVOETPERRHELIV^EQER ZEVPˮROSVYHY +ˎ^IP7EREXPEV%OEHIQMWMRHIVIWMQ FˊPˎQˎRIHIˮMP(IOSVEXMJ7EREXPEV &ˊPˎQˎRˎRWˎWPIQIEPERREKMVHMˮMR - HIEWPRHEHELEˊRGI]ˊRIPHMˮM]SPHE MPIVPIQI]MWˎVHˎVHˎ&YVEHE]EPR^GE VIWMQ]ETQE]HIˮMP ]ˎ^I]MHˎ^IRPI - QI]MKˊVˎRXˎ]ˎ]E^]PEFMVPMOXIIPIEP - QE]HIWIRZIFI^IQI]MVIROMPIQEP - ^IQIEVEWRHEOMMPM̤OMPIVMERPEQE]HE ˊˮVIRHMZIFYEPERPEVHEHMWMTPMROE^ERH 3RYRFˎXˎRˎVIXMQLE]EXFS]YRGEOEV - ̤ PE̤XˮQ^LEXQMR]EXˎVOMPMQ/EVE - Kˊ^ZIFIR^IVMKIPIRIOWIPWˎWPIQI OE]REOPEVFˎ]ˎOˊPʼˎHIKˊ^ˎRˎRZI ^MLRMRMRLIRˎ^ʼSOIVOIR]E̤PEVHEEP̤ - XˮMʼMʼI]E̤EHˮOˎPXˎVˎVˎRPIVMRHIR KIPQIOXI]HM ƅPIVPIFMVPMOXILIRˎ^]MVQMPM]E̤PEV - RRFE̤RHE]OIRFˎ]ˎOYWXEPEV1IRKˎ )VXIPƅMRLE]EXRHEIXOMPMSPQE]EFE̤PEH ˽ʼMRHIOMXYXOY]PE1YLWMR)VXYˮVYPƅEKM - HIVIOSRYRPEʼEP̤QEOMWXIHMˮMRMERPEX - X1YLWMR)VXYˮVYPHEFYKIRʼWEREXʼ - ]]ERREEPHZIS]PPEVHE8ˎVOM]IMʼMR LIRˎ^]IRMWE]PEFMPIGIOXM]EXVSHIOS - VYEPERRHEʼEP̤ER%PQERHIOSVEXˊV /YVX,EPPIKIVƅMR]ERREZIVHM &YE̤EQEHERWSRVE)VXIP]EPR^GE EJM̤MRMOMFS]YXPY]ˎ^I]MRHIOMKˊVWI - PMHIˮMP WELRIHIOSVYRY̤ˮJMKˎVˎ ZIQIOʷRMPM̤OMWMRMHIˎʼFS]YXPYSPE - VEOˊˮVIRQI]IZIKIPM̤XMVQI]IFE̤ - PEH(IOSVʼEP̤QEPEVRRMʼMRHI]IV EPVOIRXM]EXVSWELRIWMSRYRMʼMRE]R ^EQERHE]IRMFMVKˊVWIPM^PIQIKˊ^ - PIQPIQIZIHIRI]MQPIQIEPERREHˊ - Rˎ̤Xˎ˽PIVMHIEJM̤EVEGPˮ]PEMOMFS]YX - PY]ˎ^I]IXE̤]EGEˮXM]EXVSHˎR]EWR FYOI^ˎʼFS]YXPYSPEVEO]E̤]SVERP - ]SVZIˎVIXIVIOFMPKMWMRMKIPM̤XMVM]SVHY &ˊ]PIGI1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMRLE]EXRRMPO ]MVQM]PSRYRKIPIGIOXIOMOM̤MWIPZI WEREXWEP]ˊRˎRˎFˎXˎRˎ]PIIXOMPI]IGIO HˊVXXIQIPOE]REˮFMVEVE]EKIXMVHM ʳW - OˎHEVƅHEKIʼIRʼSGYOPYO]PPEVRRKIVM - WMRHIOM3WQERPLEJ^EWZIKIRM̤EMPI HIRI]MQM FYʼIZVIRMRS]YRPEVIˮPIRGI - PIVZIˎWPYTPEVPEEOXEVHˮ]IVIPKˊVWIP OˎPXˎV ʼSGYOPYˮYRHERMXMFEVIRTI̤MR - HIRWˎVˎOPIRHMˮM/EVEKˊ^WMRIQEZI OMXETXYXOYWY WSRSPEVEOHE%OEHIQM - HIEPHˮWˎWPIQIEˮVPOPHIOSVEXMJWE - REXIˮMXMQMZIFYRYRˎ^IVMRHIRXM]EXVS ʼIZVIWM]PIOYVHYˮYIVOIRMPM̤OM&ˎXˎR FYRPEV1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMRMPIVMHIOYVEGEˮ ˊ^KˎRWEREXHˎR]EWRFIWPI]IRLEJ - ^ERRZIOˎPXˎVIPIXOMPIRQIIZVIRMRMR XIQIPMRMSPY̤XYVHY ƅPEVHER ƅPIVI &MV/ˎPXˎV /Y̤EˮRR˽ʼMRHI1IRKˎ)VXIP 8ˎVOM]IƅRMROˎPXˎVIPLEJ^EWRHEZITIO ʼSOOˎPXˎVˎVˎRˎRHIEʼOʼEKˊVˎPHˎˮˎ ˎ^IVI ƅPEVZI ƅPIVFMVFMVMRMM^ - PI]IRSR]PPOHIZVIPIVLʷPMRHIˊRIQ - PMXSTPYQWEPZIOˎPXˎVIPHˊRˎ̤ˎQPIVI WELRISPHỴˎTLIWM^˽WXERFYPƅYRZI of Fine Arts, he took a great interest in work and settings connected with cul- ture and art across a wide ǖ eld stretch- ing from Karagöz plays to cinema. He passed his time with the novels he read by renting them, the ǖ lms he went to, and the Karagöz plays he watched. At the same time he was slowly building the cultural ground that would later al- low him to combine the ǖ gures and the understanding of movement of the tra- ditional shadow play with contemporary graphic design. In other words, Mengü Ertel had entered this world by living it before learning it. The environment he experienced in childhood always pre- served its presence in the background of his emotions and mind. When he entered not the painting de- partment of the Academy of Fine Arts but the ornamentation ǖ eld of the ( e- partment of Decorative Arts, he was in fact continuing along the path he had turned to earlier. Here he learned not only to paint but also to organize a surface, to treat image together with writing, to understand pattern and or- nament and the relations between co- lour and material, and he acquired dis- cipline in these areas. The traditional ornamental sources cal- ligraphy, miniature, kilim, Karagöz and the like that we encounter throughout his entire productive life came in large measure from the cultural products his eye and mind had grown accustomed to, and lived intertwined with, at a very early age. With the 1950s, while still in his ear- ly twenties, the great masters began to be in Ǘ uential in Mengü Ertel’s life. With the passion inside him he went to Muhsin Ertu ˮ rul and told him he want- ed to work with him. Muhsin Ertu ˮ rul took this young artist under his wing and placed him with the German set designer Kurt Halleger, who worked in the ǖ eld of theatre d ʾ cor still some- thing that could be considered quite new for Turkey in those years. After this stage, Ertel began to learn and develop not only the two-dimensional image on the surface of the poster but also stage d ʾ cor, light, ǖ gure and the relation of space, three-dimensionally. While taking part in d ʾ cor work, the the- atre stage turned for him at the same time into a new ǖ eld of visual viewing, observing and experiencing. The theatre world that he would later carry onto the two-dimensional surface through the poster he was now living, understand- ing and developing his knowledge of by producing this time in three dimensions. Thus the ǖ rst twenty years of Mengü Ertel’s life brought together four fun- damental sources that would wholly shape his future personal and artistic direction: the 3 ttoman memory and broad family experience behind his 14 ˽WXERFYPƅHE]E̤E]ERMRWERPEVRHEFY HˊRˎ̤ˎQPIVHIROˊOPˎFMʼMQHIIXOMPIR - HMˮMRMYRYXQEQEOKIVIOMV1IRKˎ)V - XIPƅMROIRHMWMRIMR̤EIXXMˮM^MLMRWIPZI XSTPYQWEPHˎR]EHEXEQSPEVEOFY]P - PEVHE̤IOMPPIRHM ƅPEVR˽WXERFYPƅYRHEFˎ]ˎOFMV]SO - WYPPYOMPIMQTEVEXSVPYOXEROEPERKˊV - OIQPMZIEFMHIZMOIRXHIOSVYRYR]ER ]EREHYVQEWRHERHSˮERMPKMRʼFMVOEV - ̤ PE̤QEIZVIRMZEVH&MV]ERHEKIʼQM - ̤ MRERXWEP]ETPEVZIOˎPXˎVIPFMVMOMQM ˊXI]ERHE]SOWYPPYOZI]ORXPEVMʼMRHI WˎVHˎVˎPIRKˎRHIPMOLE]EXFYPYRY]SV - HY&YSVXEQʼSGYOPYˮYRYZIKIRʼPM - ˮMRM ƅPEVHE]E̤E]ERFˎXˎROY̤EO - PEVMʼMRWEVWGFMVHIRI]MQHM ˽POKIRʼPMO]PPEVR ƅPIVHI]E̤E]ER SPKYRˎVˎRPIVMRMMWI ƅPEVHEZIVQI]I FE̤PE]ERFYOY̤EˮR]IVIPPMˮMZIˎVIX - OIRPMˮMFˎ]ˎOˊPʼˎHIFˊ]PIFMV^IQMR - HIRFIWPIRHM%]EˮRFEWXˮXSTVE - ˮRJEVORHESPERMRWERMZIXSTPYQWEP HY]EVPPˮ]ˎOWIOFYOY̤EO OˎPXˎVˎRI WEREXREZIˎVIXXMˮMIWIVPIVIFˎXˎRFY ˊ^IPPMOPIVMRMWˎVIOPM]ERWXX&ˊ]PIGI LˎQERMWXZIXSTPYQGY]ˊRˎKˎʼPˎFMV OˎPXˎVIZVIRMQI]HEREKIXMVHM (ˊRIQMRFˎ]ˎOMWMQPIVMRMZI1IRKˎ)V - XIPƅMR]IXM̤XMˮMSVXEQLEXVPEHˮQ^HE FYRYR]EPR^GEXIOFMVOM̤M]Iˊ^KˎFMV HˎR]ESPQEHˮRFˎXˎRFMVOY̤EˮR IXOMPIRHMˮMSVXEOFMVOˎPXˎVMOPMQMSPHY - ˮYRYKˊVˎVˎ^˽OMRGM(ˎR]E7EZE̤ƅRR EVHRHER ƅPIVHIHˎR]EHE]IRMHˎ - ̤ ˎRGIPIV]IRMWEREXERPE]̤PEVZI]IRM JIPWIJM]ˊRIPMQPIVSVXE]EʼOQE]EFE̤ - PEH8EVMLIZIXSTPYQEFEO̤R]ERWVE WM]EWEPEPKPEQEFMʼMQPIVMHIOˊOPˎFM - ʼMQHIHIˮM̤M]SVHY&YKIPM̤QIPIVMPIV - PI]IR]PPEVHEOˎPXˎVHIRWEREXEWM]E - WIXXIRXSTPYQWEPLE]EXEOEHEVFMVʼSO EPERHIVMRHIRIXOMPI]IGIOXM ƅPIVMRFSLIQ]E̤EQZIIRXIPIOXˎ - IPEVE]̤PEV1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMRLE]EXRHE HSˮVYHERHSˮVY]EFY]PPEVRFIPMVPI]M - GMOEVEOXIVMRIHˊRˎ̤Xˎ)HIFM]EXʼPEV XM]EXVSGYPEVZIVIWWEQPEVFMVFMVPIVM]PI ]EORMPM̤OMMʼMRHI]HM˽WXERFYPƅHE]IRM QIOʷRPEVSVXEQPEVZISVXEOWSW]EP EPERPEVQI]HEREKIXMVM]SVPEVHʯ^KˎV VYLPEVZIOY̤EOPEVREˊ^KˎWMZMPKMVM - ̤ MQPIVM]PIKIPM̤XMVHMOPIVMFYIRXIPIOXˎ - IPʼIZVIPIVSRPEVRIVIHI]WIEOEHIQM - HIRHELEMPIVMFMVRSOXEHE]IXM̤XMVM]SVHY 7EREXʼPEVFMVFMVPIVMRMIXOMPM]SV OMQM^E - QERFMVFMVMRI]EOR]E̤XEOMFˎ]ˎOYW - XEPEVPEʼVEOPEVE]RSVXEQHEFMVEVE - ]EKIPM]SVHY &Y]PPEVHEFMV]ERHERZEVSPY̤ʼPOFMV ]ERHERKIVʼIOˎWXˎGˎPˎOZIWS]YXWE - REXHˎ̤ˎRGIWMKIPM̤M]SVHY&YRPEVRWM - ]EWIXOˎPXˎVZIWEREXˎ^IVMRHIOMM^PIVM HIVMRFMʼMQHIXEVX̤P]SV FYKIPM̤QI - PIVMM^PI]IRPIVMROIRHMPIVMRMKIVʼIOPI̤ - XMVIFMPIGIOPIVM]IRMEPERPEVROETPEV WSRYREOEHEVEʼP]SVHY ʡEˮHE̤HˎR]ERROE]REOPEVRHERFMV ˊPʼˎHIY^EOOEPQ̤SPERFYOY̤EOHM - ˮIV]ERHEROIRHMOYVHYˮYWSW]EPʼIZ - childhood years in ʳ sküdar; the local visual culture that this milieu transmit- ted through plays, entertainments and styles; the passion for Karagöz, cine- ma and books that he had chased af- ter since childhood; and ǖ nally the or- namentation-weighted decorative-arts education he received at the Academy and the early relationship he built with the theatre world through it. All of these formed the foundation of the memory and the universe of cultural in Ǘ uence that would nourish the original art world Mengü Ertel would later build. *VSQXLI WXSXLI W 1IRKˎ)VXIP;MXLMR E+IRIVEXMSRSJ'YPXYVI As is clearly seen in Turkey’s cultural memory and in many cultural products, the 1940s and 1950s, in successive ten- year phases, became the scene of im- portant social and cultural transforma- tions. 3 ne must not forget, of course, that Istanbul and the people living in Is- tanbul were also fundamentally affect- ed by these transformations. The men- tal and social world that Mengü Ertel built for himself was likewise shaped precisely in these years. In the Istanbul of the 1940s there was an interesting universe of encounter born of the side-by-side standing of great poverty and the magni ǖ cent, mon- umental urban d ʾ cor left over from the empire. 3 n one side were the monu- mental structures and cultural accu- mulation of the past, and on the other the daily life carried on amid pover- ty and ruins. This environment was a shattering experience for all the gen- erations who lived their childhood and youth in the 1940s. The locality and productivity of this gen- eration who lived their early youth in the 1950s and began to give their mature products in the 1960s was nourished in large measure by such a ground. Aware of the soil on which it set its foot, with a high human and social sensitivity, this generation constantly re Ǘ ected all these characteristics onto its culture, its art and the works it pro- duced. Thus it brought forth a cultural universe with a strong humanist and social-minded dimension. When we recall the great names of the period and the environment in which Mengü Ertel was raised, we see that this was not a world peculiar to a sin- gle person but a shared cultural climate that in Ǘ uenced an entire generation. Af- ter the Second World War, in the 1950s, new ideas, new understandings of art and new philosophical orientations be- gan to appear in the world. Alongside the view of history and society, ways of perceiving politics were also changing fundamentally. In the following years these developments would deeply af- 15 VIPIVEVEGPˮ]PEFYOE]REOPEVEIXOMRZI HMREQMOFMʼMQHI]EOPE̤QE]EFE̤PEH &Y]EOPE̤QXIOXIOOM̤MPIVMRʼEFEW] - PEHIˮMPFMVʼSOMRWERRFMPKMWMXEOMFM Hˎ̤ˎRGIWMZIʼEP̤QEWRRWSRYGYR - HEOSPIOXMJSPEVEOKIPM̤M]SVHY ˽̤XI ƅPIVMRFYSVXEQLIRˎ^ ƅPE - VRKˎʼPˎXSTPYQWEPQYLEPIJIXMRIHˊ - Rˎ̤QIHIRˊRGIJIPWIJMZIOˎPXˎVIP FEOQHERFMVʼI̤MXLE^VPOHˊRIQM SPY̤XYVHY&MVFMVMRHIRHIˮIVPMMRWER - PEVZIIWIVPIVFY]PPEVROEVEOXIVMWXMO SVXEQRHE]IXM̤XM&YKˎR8ˎVOM]IƅRMR OˎPXˎVZIWEREXLE]EXRRFˎ]ˎOMWMQ - PIVMSPEVEOKˊVHˎˮˎQˎ^TIOʼSOOM̤M XEQHEFY]PPEVHESPY̤XY 1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMROIRHMERPEXPEVRHELI - Rˎ^ʼSOKIRʼOIRXER̤QEOXERFˎ]ˎO LI]IGERZIWIZMRʼHY]HYˮYRY]ERPE - VRHEFYPYRQE]KYVYVPEERPEXXˮRKˊV - HˎˮˎQˎ^MWMQPIVMRHˊRIQMHIFˊ]PI - GIFE̤PEQ̤X&IHVM6ELQM)]ˎFSˮPY ZI7EMX*EMOKMFMKˎʼPˎOˎPXˎVMRWERPEV FMV]ERHERHˎ̤ˎRˎ]SVZIOYVEQWEPXEV - X̤QEPEVKIPM̤XMVM]SVFMV]ERHERHE]E - ^]SVZIˎVIXM]SVPEVH1YLWMR)VXYˮVYP KMFMFˎ]ˎOXM]EXVSMRWERPEVZI%OEHI - QMHILSGEWSPER%LQIX,EQHM8ERT - REVKMFMˊRIQPM]E^EVPEVHEFYHˎR]E - RRMʼMRHI]HM %HEPIX'MQGS^ƅYROYVHYˮY1E]E7E - REX+EPIVMWMʼIZVIWMRHIKIPM̤IRWMZMP OˎPXˎVEPERMWIHIZPIXMR]ˊRIXMQMZI]E VIWQ˃Wˊ]PIQMRIXOMWMEPXRHEFMʼMQPI - RIROˎPXˎVZIWEREXʼIZVIPIVMRMRˊXIWM - RIKIʼIR]IRMFMVSVXEQQI]HEREKI - XMVM]SVHY7EFELEXXMR)]ˎFSˮPYKMFM MWMQPIVMRHIMʼMRHIFYPYRHYˮY1E]E ʼIZVIWM]IRMHˊRIQMQIVOI^MRIEPER ZIʼIZVIWMRHIWM]EWEPZIOˎPXˎVIPIXOM - PI̤MQEPERPEVSPY̤XYVERGERPFMVQIV - OI^LʷPMRIKIPQM̤XM 1IRKˎ)VXIP%OEHIQMRMRSTEVPEOOY - ̤ EˮRHEEVOEHE̤SPHYˮYZIMPIVPI]IR]P - PEVHEOˎPXˎVˎRˎWEREXRZIHIˮIVPIVMRM FMVPMOXIKIPM̤XMVMTTIOM̤XMVIGIˮM/Y^KYR %GEV%PM8ISQER+IVQERIV*MOVIX3X - ]EQZI3VLER4IOIVKMFMMWMQPIVPI&I - ]SˮPYƅRHELIRˎ^ʼSOKIRʼ]E̤PEVHEFY SVXEQPEV]E̤EQE]EFE̤PEH %]RHˊRIQHI/ˎʼˎO7ELRIʼIZVIWMR - HI1YLWMR)VXYˮVYPƅPEFMVPMOXIʼEP̤QE - ]EFE̤PEH ]PRHEFYXM]EXVSMʼMR EJM̤PIVˎVIXQI]IKMVM̤XMˮMRHIEVXOFY HˎR]ERRMʼMRHI]IXM̤QM̤ SRYRFMPKM - WMRMHˎ̤ˎRGIWMRMZIOˎPXˎVIPˎVIXMQM - RM]EORHERXERQ̤FMVEOPEZIHY]EV - PPˮEWELMTXM /YVX,EPPIKIVƅPIHIOSVEPERRHE ˽PLER %VEOSRZI%]HR%VEOSRKMFMMWMQPIVPI WELRIʼEP̤QEPEVRHEFMVEVE]EKIPHM ̣ ˎOVER+ˎRKˊV%PXER)VFYPEO1ˎRMV ʯ^OYPZI1ˎGET3ǗYSˮPYKMFMXM]EXVS MRWERPEV]PEE]RHˎR]ERRMʼMRHIFY - PYRHY3]YRHIOSVZIWELRIXEWEVQ - RRFˎXˎRE̤EQEPEVRFM^^EX]E̤E]EVEO ZIFYʼEP̤QEPEVRMʼMRHIR]IXM̤IVIO EHIXEHˊRIQMRˎVIXOIRFMVʼSGYˮY SPEVEOFˎ]ˎHˎ fect many ǖ elds, from culture to art, from politics to social life. The bohemian life and intellectu- al searches of the 1950s turned, in Mengü Ertel’s life, directly into the de- ǖ ning character of these years. Writ- ers, theatre people and painters were in close relationship with one another. In Istanbul they were creating new ven- ues, settings and shared social spac- es. With their free spirits and the civic initiatives peculiar to their generation, these intellectual circles were raising them to a point almost beyond the academy. Artists in Ǘ uenced one an- other; at times great masters and ap- prentices close in age came together in the same setting. In these years, on one side existential- ism, and on the other surrealism and the idea of abstract art, were developing. Their traces upon politics, culture and art were being discussed profoundly; the doors of new ǖ elds in which those who followed these developments could realize themselves were being opened all the way. This generation, which had remained to some degree distant from the sources of the contemporary world, on the other hand began to approach these sources in an active and dynamic way through the social circles it built for itself. This approach developed not through the ef- fort of individuals one by one, but col- lectively, as the result of the knowledge, the following, the thought and the work of many people. This very setting of the 1950s, before it had yet turned into the powerful so- cial opposition of the 1960s, constitut- ed a kind of preparatory period in phil- osophical and cultural terms. People and works, each more valuable than the last, were raised in the character- istic setting of these years. Many peo- ple whom we today regard as the great names of Turkey’s cultural and artistic life took form precisely in these years. Thus began, too, the era of the names whom, in Mengü Ertel’s own accounts, we see him recount with great excite- ment and joy at having met while still very young, and with pride at being in their company. Powerful people of culture such as & edri Rahmi Eyübo ˮ lu and Sait Faik were, on one hand, think- ing and developing theoretical debates and, on the other, writing and producing. Great theatre people such as Muhsin Ertu ˮ rul, and important writers such as Ahmet Hamdi Tanp nar, his teach- er at the Academy, were also within this world. The civic cultural sphere that developed around the Maya Art Gallery founded by Adalet Cimcoz created a new set- ting that went beyond the cultural and artistic circles shaped under the ad- ministration of the state or the in Ǘ u- 16 &YIRXIPIOXˎIPSVXEQHE1IPML'IZHIX %RHE]3OXE]6MJEXZI3VLER:IPM/E - ROKMFM̤EMVPIVMRHˎ̤ˎRGIPIVMZIIWIV - PIVM]PIHIMʼMʼI]E̤]SVSRPEVRSPY̤ - XYVHYˮYOˎPXˎVʼIZVIWMRHI]IXM̤M]SVHY &ˎXˎRFYRPEVRMʼMRHI8ˎVOM]IOˎPXˎVXE - VMLMRHIFYKˎRʼSOˊRIQPMFMV]IVIWE - LMTSPER1E]E7EREX+EPIVMWMRMRHIˮI - VMOY̤OYWY^ʼSOFˎ]ˎOXˎ ,SGEW%LQIX,EQHM8ERTREVƅR]ˊR - PIRHMVQIWMZI/Y^KYR%GEVƅREVEGP - ˮ]PE%HEPIX'MQGS^ƅPEXER̤ER1IRKˎ )VXIPFˊ]PIGI1E]E7EREX+EPIVMWM - RMROˎPXˎVSVXEQREHʷLMPSPHY&YVE - HE7EFELEXXMR)]ˎFSˮPY&IHVM6ELQM )]ˎFSˮPY)HMT'ERWIZIV'IQEP7ˎVI - ]EZI7EMX*EMO%FEW]EROKMFMMWMQPI - VMKˊVˎ]SV SRPEVRHˎ̤ˎRWIPZIJIPWIJM HIVMRPMˮMRMERPEQE]Eˊ^ˎQWIQI]IZI FYFMVMOMQHIRFIWPIRQI]IFE̤P]SVHY (ELEWSRVE8ˎVOM]IƅRMRFMVFE̤OEIRXI - PIOXˎIPHˎR]EWRKˎʼPˎFMVTSPMXMOXE - ZVPEXIQWMPIHIGIOSPER˽PLER7IPʼYO ZI8YVLER7IPʼYOOEVHI̤PIVPIHSWXPYO OYVHY%VHRHERSRPEVRO^OEVHI̤MʳP - JIXƅPIIZPIRIVIO ]PRHELIRˎ^ʼSO KIRʼ]E̤XEOIRHMLE]EXRHEFMVIZPM - PMOIXVEJRHEOYVQE]EFE̤PEH&ˊ]PI - GI]EPR^GE]IRMFMVEMPISVXEQREHI - ˮMPE]R^EQERHEIRXIPIOXˎIPFMVEMPI ʼIZVIWMRIHIOEXPQ̤SPHY ƅPIVMRWSRYRHE ]PRHE=P - H^/IRXIVMPI1ˎ̤JMO/IRXIVƅMRS]RE - Hˮ7EPRGEOXE˽OM/M̤MMʼMRLE^VPEH - ˮEJM̤PIS^EQEREOEHEVKIPM̤XMVHMˮM FˎXˎRWEREXWEPZIOˎPXˎVIPFMVMOMQM XM - ]EXVS]PEOYVHYˮYHIOSVZIWELRIXE - WEVQMPM̤OMWMRMEJM̤Hˎ^PIQMRIXE̤H %]R]PPEVHE1YLWMR)VXYˮVYPEVEGP - ˮ]PEXER̤Xˮ%]HR+ˎRƅPIFMVPMOXIMPO STIVEEJM̤PIVMRMHILE^VPEQE]EFE̤PEH &YHˊRIQMR1IRKˎ)VXIPEʼWRHERIR ˊRIQPMKIPM̤QIPIVMRHIRFMVMHI]E̤E - QRXMGEVMSPEVEOWˎVHˎVIFMPIGIˮMZI TVSJIW]SRIPʼEP̤QEPEVR]ˎVˎXIGIˮM 7ER3VKERM^EW]SRƅY ]PRHEOYV - QEW]H˽POSPEVEO/EVEOˊ]ƅHIEʼXˮ M̤]IVMRMHELEWSRVEFMVʼSOWEREXʼRR ]E̤EQZIˎVIXMQEPERSPER2EVQERP ,ERƅEEVHRHER*VERW^+IʼMHMƅRIXE̤ - H&ˊ]PIGIQIWPIOMˎVIXMQMRMHIHSˮ - VYHERHSˮVY]EGERPFMVOˎPXˎVSVXEQ - RRMʼMRHIWˎVHˎVQI]IFE̤PEH ƅPIVMRWSRYREKIPHMˮMQM^HI1IR - Kˎ)VXIPƅM˽WXERFYPƅYRZI8ˎVOM]IƅRMROˎP - XˎVLE]EXRE]ˊRZIVIGIOFˎ]ˎOMWMQPI - VMR]IXM̤XMˮMˎVIXOIRFMVOS^ERRMʼMRHI KˊVˎ]SVY^=MVQMPM]E̤PEVRFYSVXEQ - HEKIʼMVQM̤HˊRIQMRˊRIQPMWEREXʼ ZIHˎ̤ˎRGIMRWERPEV]PE]EORMPM̤OMPIV OYVQY̤ ʼEP̤OERPˮˊ^ZIVMWMWIZKMWM ZI]E̤EQIRIVNMWM]PIFYHˎR]E]PEFˎ - XˎRPI̤QM̤KIRʼFMVWEREXʼZEVHVEV - XOOEV̤Q^HE &MV]ERHERTVSJIW]SRIPFMVVIOPEQENER - WOYVEVEOLE]EXROE^EREFMPIGIˮMZI WIOXˊVPIMPM̤OMPIVMRMKIPM̤XMVIGIˮMFMVʼE - P̤QEHˎR]EWSPY̤XYVQY̤XYʯXI]ER - HERIRXIPIOXˎIPOˎPXˎVIPXSTPYQWEPZI KMHIVIOTSPMXMOFMPMRGMRMFIPMVKMRPI̤XMVI - ence of o ǘ cial discourse. The Maya circle, which included names such as Sabahattin Eyübo ˮ lu, had become a lively centre that placed the new era at its heart and formed ǖ elds of polit- ical and cultural interaction around it. Mengü Ertel, in that brilliant genera- tion of the Academy, began to experi- ence these settings in & eyo ˮ lu at a very young age together with names such as Kuzgun Acar, Ali Teoman German- er, Fikret 3 tyam and 3 rhan Peker, with whom he was friends and with whom, in the following years, he would devel- op and consolidate his culture, his art and his values together. In the same period he began to work together with Muhsin Ertu ˮ rul around the Kü ʼ ük Sahne. When, in 1959, he set about producing posters for this theatre, he already had a mind and a sensibility raised within this world one that had come to know its knowl- edge, its thought and its cultural pro - duction closely. He came together with Kurt Halleger in the ǖ eld of d ʾ cor, and with names such as ˽ lhan Arakon and Ayd n Ara- kon in stage work. He was within the same world as theatre people such as ̣ ükran Güngör, Altan Erbulak, Münir ʯ z- kul and Mücap 3Ǘ uo ˮ lu. & y personally living through all the stages of play, d ʾ - cor and stage design and being raised from within this work, he grew up, as it were, as a productive child of the period. In this intellectual setting he lived in- tertwined with the ideas and works of poets such as Melih Cevdet Anday, 3 ktay Rifat and 3 rhan : eli Kan k, and was raised within the cultural circle they formed. Within all of this, the val- ue of the Maya Art Gallery, which to- day holds a very important place in the history of Turkish culture, was without doubt very great. Through the guidance of his teacher Ahmet Hamdi Tanp nar and the medi- ation of Kuzgun Acar, Mengü Ertel met Adalet Cimcoz and thus became part of the cultural milieu of the Maya Art Gal- lery. Here he was seeing names such as Sabahattin Eyübo ˮ lu, & edri Rahmi Eyübo ˮ lu, Edip Cansever, Cemal Süreya and Sait Faik Abas yan k; he was begin- ning to understand and internalize their intellectual and philosophical depth and to be nourished by this accumulation. He formed a friendship with the broth- ers ˽ lhan Sel ʼ uk and Turhan Sel ʼ uk, who would later represent another intellec- tual world of Turkey with a strong po- litical stance. Then, marrying their sis- ter ʳ lfet in 1954, at a still very young age, he also began to build his own life around a marriage. Thus he had joined not only a new family setting but at the same time an intellectual family circle. At the end of the 1950s, in 1959, with the poster he prepared for Two for the Seesaw , performed by Y ld z Kenter and 17 GIˮMFMVOˎPXˎVIZVIRMRIKMVQM̤XM7EREX HˎR]EWRHERIRXIPIOXˎIPʼIZVIPIVIOE - HEVY^ERERFYIZVIRHIʼEP̤QEPEV]PE ZEVSPEFMPIGIˮMOIRHMRIˊ^KˎFMVMJEHI EPERFYPQY̤XY &ˊ]PIGISXY^PY]E̤PEVRE]EOPE̤ER1IR - Kˎ)VXIPEVXOOM̤MWIPIWXIXMOFIˮIRMWMRM SVXE]EOS]EFMPIGIOZI]E̤EHˮXSTPY - QYROIRXMRZIʼEˮRXEROPˮRXE̤ - ]EFMPIGIOˊPʼˎHIHSRERQPFMVWEREX - ʼSPEVEOOEV̤Q^EʼO]SVHY ƅPIVHIR ƅPEVE+IʼIVOIR 1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMR(ˎR]EW MPI EVEWRHEOM]PPEVHE1IR - Kˎ)VXIPƅMRHˎR]EW FM^^EXˎVIXXMˮM IQIOZIVHMˮMZIMʼMRHI]E̤EHˮʼIZ - VIPIVPI̤IOMPPIRQI]IFE̤PEQ̤X&Y HˎR]E˽WXERFYPƅYRRIVIHI]WILIVOˊ - ̤ IWMRHIRHˎ̤ˎRGIOˎPXˎVZIWEREX IQIˮMRMRJ̤OVHˮFIVIOIXPMFMVSV - XEQHERFIWPIRM]SVHY &MV]ERHE%OEHIQMHIWˎVHˎVHˎˮˎHI - WIRZIWˎWPIQIHMWMTPMRMRHIRKIPIR QIWPIOMFMVMOMQˊXI]ERHE/ˎʼˎO7EL - RIʼIZVIWMRHI]E̤E]ERˎVIXIRZIE]R ^EQERHEMʼMRHI]IVEPERPEVIˮMXIR GERPFMVXM]EXVSSVXEQZEVH1E]E 7EREX+EPIVMWMZI&I]SˮPYʼIZVIWMMWI FSLIQLE]EXRZIOˎPXˎVMRWERPEVRR QIOʷRPE̤Xˮ FYQIOʷRPEVROIRHM MPM̤OMPIVM]PIXSTPYQWEPZIOˎPXˎVIPFMV SPKYRPE̤QEIZVIRMQI]HEREKIXMVHM - ˮMFE̤OEFMVHˎR]E]H &YRPEVR]ERRHE1IRKˎ)VXIP/EVE - Oˊ]ƅHIOYVHYˮY7%23VKERM^EW]SRMPI TVSJIW]SRIPˎVIXMQLE]EXREKIʼM]SV - HY/ˎPXˎVMRWERPEVRRYˮVEO]IVPIVMR - HIRFMVMLʷPMRIKIPIRFYM̤]IVMSRYR ]EPR^GEQIWPIˮMRM]ˎVˎXXˎˮˎFMV̤MV - OIXHIˮMPʼIZVIWMRHI]IRMFMV]E̤EQ ZIˎVIXMQEPERSPY̤XYVHYˮYFE̤OEFMV OˎPXˎVIPQIVOI^HM 1IRKˎ)VXIP ƅPEVEM̤XIFYQIOʷR - WEPZIOˎPXˎVIPFMVMOMQMRMʼMRHIRKIʼ - XM8ˎVOM]IMWI ƅPIVHIOM(IQSOVEX 4EVXMHIRI]MQM]PIFMVPMOXIOEXHIZPIX - ʼMTSPMXMOEPEVHERPMFIVEPTE^EVE]ˊRIP - QIRMRXEVX̤QEP]IV]IVOEJEOEV̤X - VGHˊRˎ̤ˎQˎRˎ]E̤EQ̤X3R]PR WSRYREKIPMRHMˮMRHIOˎPXˎVHˎR]EWR - HEOMMRWERPEVRTSPMXMOXYXYQPEVHEKM - HIVIOFIPMVKMRPI̤M]SV WEREXʼPEVZIE] - HRPEVQYLEPMJFMVʼM^KMHIFYPY̤QE]E FE̤P]SVHY ƅPEVPEFMVPMOXIFE̤PE]EGEO]IRMOˎP - XˎVIPZITSPMXMOIZVIR ]IVIPPMOQYLEPMJ LˎQERM^QZIMRWERMHIˮIVPIVIXVEJRHE KIPM̤IR]IT]IRMXEVX̤QEPEVPELIQOˎP - XˎVMRWERPEVRLIQHIIRXIPIOXˎIPPIVM FE̤OEFMVHˊRIQILE^VP]SVHY1IR - Kˎ)VXIPHI ƅPM]PPEVFS]YRGEOIR - HMWMRMFYSVXEQHE]IXM̤XMVQM̤ OM̤MWIP IWXIXMˮMRMWEREXERPE]̤RZIOˎPXˎVIP FMVMOMQMRMXEQSPEVEOFYHˎR]ERRMʼMR - HIKIPM̤XMVQM̤XM 1IRKˎ)VXIPMʼMRFYSVXEQ]EPR^GEFMV XIORMOˎVIXMQEPER]EHEOEVM]IVHˎR]E - WHIˮMPHM8EQHESOY̤EˮRVYLYRHE Mü ̤ fik Kenter, he carried all the artis- tic and cultural accumulation he had developed until then his relationship with the theatre in d ʾ cor and stage design onto the plane of the poster. In the same years he also began to prepare the first opera posters togeth- er with Ayd n Gün, whom he had met through Muhsin Ertu ˮ rul. 3 ne of the most important develop- ments of this period for Mengü Ertel was his founding, in 195 , of San 3 r- ganizasyon, through which he could sustain his life commercially and carry out his professional work. The work- place he first opened in Karaköy he later moved to Narmanl Han a living and production space for many art- ists and then to the French Passage (Frans z Ge ʼ idi . Thus he began to car- ry out his professional production di- rectly within a living cultural setting. & y the end of the 1950s we see Mengü Ertel within a productive cocoon in which the great names who would di- rect the cultural life of Istanbul and of Turkey were raised. & efore us now is a young artist who has spent his twenties in this setting, built close relationships with the important art- ists and thinkers of the period, and merged with this world through his diligence, his devotion, his love and his life energy. 3 n one hand he had formed a working world through which he could earn his living and develop his relations with the sector, by founding a profession- al advertising agency. 3 n the other he had entered a cultural universe in which he would make his intellectual, cultural, social and increasingly politi- cal consciousness distinct. In this uni- verse stretching from the art world to intellectual circles, he had found a dis- tinctive ǖ eld of expression in which he could exist through his work. Thus, approaching his thirties, Mengü Ertel appeared before us as an artist equipped enough to set forth his per- sonal aesthetic taste and to carry the testimony of the society, the city and the age he lived in. 8LI;SVPHSJ1IRKˎ)VXIPMR XLI4EWWEKIJVSQXLI W XSXLI W In the years between 1950 and 1960, Mengü Ertel’s world had begun to take shape through the circles he himself pro- duced, laboured over and lived within. This world was nourished by a fertile setting from which thought, culture and the labour of art gushed forth from al- most every corner of Istanbul. 3 n one side was the professional ac- cumulation coming from the pattern and ornamentation discipline he pur- 18 SPHYˮYKMFMFMVEMPIZI]E̤EQOˎPXˎVˎ - RˎRTEVʼEW]H)VXIPFYHˎR]E]TPER - PE]EVEOZI]EXEWEVPE]EVEOOYVQEOXER ʼSO ˎVIXQIRMRTE]PE̤QERRHˎR]E ˎ^IVMRILE]EPPIVOYVQERRZI]IRMHˎ - ̤ ˎRGIPIVPIKIPM̤IRTSPMXMOHY]EVPPˮR HSˮEPFMVEMPISVXEQSPEVEO]E̤]SVHY &YOˎPXˎVIPIZVIR]EPR^GEʼEP̤QELE - ]EX]PEWRVPHIˮMPHM IZMRMM̤]IVMRMZI KˎRHIPMO]E̤EQRRFˎXˎRˎRˎOY̤EX - ]SVHYʡIZVIWMRHIOMOˎPXˎVZIWEREXMR - WERPEVWEREXE]VFMVQIWPIOEPERSP - QEOXERʼOEVEVEO]E̤EQERRE]VPQE^ FMVTEVʼEWLʷPMRIKIXMVM]SVHY1IRKˎ )VXIPHI ƅPIVHIR ƅPEVEY^ERER FYOˎPXˎVHˎR]EWRRFMVʼSGYˮYSPEVEO SʼIZVI]PIFMVPMOXIOIRHMWMRM]IXM̤XMVM]SV ZIFˎ]ˎXˎ]SVHY ƅPEVHER1EVXƅE 8M]EXVSRYR ˽ʼMRHI/YVYPERʯ^KˎR%JM̤(MPM 1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMRʼSOKIRM̤ˎVIXMQHˎR - ]EWMʼMRHIFY]E^]HELEʼSOXM]EXVS EJM̤PIVM]PIWRVPEQE]E XM]EXVSHˎR]E - WRZIHˊRIQMRS]YRPEVRRHELEˎWX ˊPʼIOXIREWPFMVOˎPXˎVZIHY]EVPPO SVXEQRRˎVˎRˎSPHYˮYRYERPEXQE - ]EʼEP̤]SVY^&YFEOQHER ƅP ZI ƅPM]PPEVETE]VFMVˊRIQXE̤V ʡˎROˎFYHˊRIQ1IRKˎ)VXIPƅMRXM]EXVS ʼIZVIWMRHISPKYRPE̤XˮZIˊ^KˎREJM̤ HMPMRMO