Hüseyin Avni Lifij (1886, Ladik - 2 June 1927,

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

) was a Turkish

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter of Circassian origin. He is best known for landscapes with architectural features.

Biography

His family emigrated from Sochi to Ladik during the Great Circassian exile of 1864.''Avni Lifij Sanat Yazıları.(2019). Kırmızı Kedi Yayınevi.'' He began his education in 1896, in Istanbul; showing special interest in the art and music classes. In 1898, he continued his studies at the "Numune-i Terakki Mektebi", a private school where he learned French. Three years later, he obtained a position in the Railways Department of the "Ottoman Ministry of Public Works".Chronology
@ the Avni Lifij website. While there, he continued taking lessons to improve his French. He also audited classes at a medical school and a pharmacists' school to learn anatomy and chemistry.Biography and appreciation
@ Tarih Notları. In 1906, he met the French architect,

Henri Prost Henri Prost (February 25, 1874 – July 16, 1959) was a French architect and urban planner. He was noted in particularly for his work in Morocco and Turkey, where he created a number of comprehensive city plans for Casablanca, Fes, Marrakesh ...

, who liked his work and recommended that he show some of his paintings to

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842, in Istanbul 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was also an accomplished archaeologist, and is regarded as th ...

, who was impressed with Lifij's "Self-Portrait with Pipe" and, after seeing more of his work, placed him on a list of candidates for a state scholarship to study in Paris. In late 1908, he was selected and, a few months later, enrolled at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

, where he studied with

Fernand Cormon Fernand Cormon (24 December 1845 – 20 March 1924) was a French painter born in Paris. He became a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin, and Jean-François Portaels, and one of the leading historical painters of modern France. Biograph ...

. Upon returning home in 1912, he obtained a position teaching at

Istanbul High School Istanbul High School ( tr, İstanbul Lisesi, german: Istanbuler Gymnasium), also commonly known as Istanbul Boys' High School ( tr, İstanbul Erkek Lisesi, abbreviated İEL), is one of the oldest and internationally renowned high schools of Turkey ...

. In 1915, he began teaching French at the

Kandilli Anatolian High School for Girls Kandilli Anatolian High School for Girls ( tr, Kandilli Kız Anadolu Lisesi) is a secondary educational institution located in the Kandilli neighborhood of Üsküdar district in Istanbul, Turkey. Known traditionally as ''Kandilli Kız Lisesi'', ...

. The following year, he participated in the first " Galatasaray Exhibition", which would later become a major venue for new artists. In 1918, he presented 18 canvases at an exhibition in Vienna devoted to war paintings. In 1922, he and his wife went to a teacher's conference in

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

, where they met President Atatürk. They were invited to spend four months with the President in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, where he produced several portraits, including one of Marshall

Fevzi Çakmak Mustafa Fevzi Çakmak (12 January 1876 – 10 April 1950) was a Turkish field marshal ('' Mareşal'') and politician. He served as the Chief of General Staff from 1918 and 1919 and later the Minister of War of the Ottoman Empire in 1920. He lat ...

, and began one of his best-known paintings, "Karagün" (Black Day). In 1924, he was appointed a Professor at the "Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi" (School of Fine Arts, now part of the

Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University ( tr, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a Turkish public university dedicated to higher education in the fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, Istanbu ...

), a position he retained until his sudden death at the early age of forty-one, apparently from a heart attack.

References

External links

Avni Lifij website
, with biography, paintings and additional references
More paintings by Lifij
@ Sergiler

@ e-stanbul.com

an appreciation by Şazi Sirel @ the

Turkish Cultural Foundation The Turkish Cultural Foundation promotes and preserves Turkish culture and heritage worldwide, and places special emphasis on education for disadvantaged students in Turkey and abroad. Created in 2000, the Foundation seeks to help build cultural b ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lifij, Huseyin Avni 1886 births 1927 deaths People from Lâdik Landscape painters Turkish people of Circassian descent 20th-century Turkish painters

Biography

References

Further reading

External links