Ebru art has a long history and a technique completely unique to its form. Known as Turkish Ebru art, its cultural significance originally began as a part of bookbinding but has now found its place in the art world. It has evolved over many centuries, from its functionality, to the materials used to produce it, to the motifs. The practice of this traditional art was gradually disappearing when Nuri Pınar, now the foremost known Ebru Artist made it his mission to produce Ebru and inform the world of its existence and ensure its continuance.
The process of making this art is unique as it is completely painted within water. Water is placed into a rectangular tray in which gum is then added to make the consistency much thicker. Paint is then sprinkled on the surface and a pattern is created by running a thin stick through it. Once the pattern is completed a sheet of paper is placed on top and it is left for a couple of minutes. The paper is then slid carefully off revealing the Ebru design.
Pınar first came across this distinctive art form while living in Switzerland in 1976. While working as a tourist guide he read a book called “Ebru in Turkish Art” and it sparked an interest in him.
“I read this book and it changed my life. There was only one master creating Ebru and this art form was dying. One sentence in the book was that if the master could not find an apprentice then this art would disappear. I thought I had to save this art,” Pınar said.
One week later, after getting time off from work, he found himself in Istanbul and in the presence of the master mentioned in the book. “When I arrived I told him that I wanted to learn this art and save it. The master asked me if someone had cursed me because I was interested in this job and it was a troublesome one. He told me that I couldn't do it from Switzerland, that I must stay in Istanbul and work with him for six months,” Pınar said.
Pınar retuned to Switzerland saddened, yet resolved to teach himself. Reading several books describing the technique he practiced yet was not able to achieve the right result. Seven months later he returned to Istanbul to see the master who once again told him not to get involved. Angry and dismayed at the fact that he would not teach him Pınar made a promise to himself. “I decided to make Ebru Art better than the master. It was a matter of pride now,” Pınar said.
For many years he attempted to teach himself the technique by reading and studying every source that he could get his hands on. He even learned Latin to understand a document he found on Ebru dating back to the Middle Ages. In 1980 the author of the book that changed his life, Uğur Dermar, arrived in Switzerland for a seminar that he was giving. By chance Pınar was his guide but did not reveal his interest in Ebru until afterwards when he asked Uğur to sign a copy of his book. Pınar asked Uğur Dermar to teach him the technique of Ebru but was once again disappointed when the author exclaimed he had no idea and only wrote the book out of interest for art history. “I decided to continue trying myself and then eventually began to create Ebru correctly,” Pınar said.
“I used foreign sources to teach myself, there were no Turkish ones. There were no books available in Turkish. We call it Turkish Ebru but we don't even have one book about it. In the U.S. there are hundreds, in England, Australia and New Zealand there are books on it, but none here. How can we claim it to be Turkish if there are no books here about it? There is no historical legacy for future generations. No one cares about art, everyone cares about money, they just have dollar signs in their eyes,” Pınar said.
This legacy was one of the main reasons that Pınar felt impassioned to become involved in Ebru, not only to save the art itself but also preserve it for future generations and enable it to be part of Turkish culture.
Ebru's cultural significance
Originally Ebru was a part of book binding, used as a background for calligraphy, as the use of white paper was not good, due to the fact that it was too harsh on the eyes. In the times of the Ottoman Empire, Ebru was used in an official sense for example in rental agreements. It was a form of security in case someone tried to erase the writing off the document. The Ebru would be erased as well revealing it to be a forgery. “Benjamin Franklin used Ebru on currency to eliminate forgeries and accounting books had Ebru borders so that if a page was removed it was noticeable,” Pınar said.
“Ebru's cultural significance was ingrained in Book Arts. Today there is no one writing Arabic in calligraphy or reading it. No one does book binding, no one reads in general so what's going to happen to Ebru?” Pınar said.
In 1965 the same master who refused to teach Pınar decided to present these artworks to the public by framing it and it spread. “Now you can make it on fabric, wood and many different materials, but the real one is one paper,” Pınar said.
Domestic News - Resource: Turkish Daily News
