Maide Arel (1907–1997), also known as Mayde Feruhhan, was a Turkish-born
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
painter. She is known for her work is abstract and stylized figures, similar to
Cubism
Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
, often in dull colors.
About
She was born as Mayde Feruhhan in 1907 in
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, ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. She was the granddaughter of artist and designer Simon Dadyan and a descendant of Nazik Balyan and the
Balyan family
The Balyan family ( hy, Պալեաններ; tr, Balyan ailesi or ''Palyan ailesi'') was a prominent Armenian family in the Ottoman Empire consisting of court architects in the service of Ottoman sultans and other members of the Ottoman dynas ...
of architects.
Arel studied at
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 ...
(formally known as İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi) and graduated in 1935. Arel studied with
Nazmi Ziya Güran
Nazmi Ziya Güran (1881 – 11 September 1937) was a Turkish Impressionist painter and art teacher.
Biography
He was born in Istanbul. His father was a civil servant. He attended Vefa Lisesi, Turkey's first non-military high school, She married painter Şemsi Arel in 1935, the son of her painting professor Mehmet Ruhi Arel.
Between 1945 until 1950, she lived in Paris and studied in workshops with
André Lhote
André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also active and influential as a teacher and writer on art.
Early life and education
Lhote was born ...
,
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...
, and
Jean Metzinger
Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger (; 24 June 1883 – 3 November 1956) was a major 20th-century French painter, theorist, writer, critic and poet, who along with Albert Gleizes wrote the first theoretical work on Cubism. His earliest works, from 1 ...
. During her early career, her first period of paintings were primarily landscapes, and her work changed to abstraction after her return to Europe.
She died on 9 February 1997, and is buried in Istanbul, Turkey.