Ahmet Ertuğ

Ahmet Ertuğ (2009)

Ahmet Ertuğ (* 1949 in Istanbul ) is a Turkish architectural photographer and publisher .

life and work

Ahmet Ertuğs was trained as an architect at the London Architectural Association School of Architecture . His work focuses on architectural photography and museum photography. His work represents an essential photographic documentation of the buildings and art treasures of antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Ottoman period and modernity in today's Turkey and Europe.

The starting point of Ertuğs series of so far 25 cultural and historical publications in the publishing Ertuğ & Kocabıyık is the band over the Hagia Sophia - A Vision for empires ( english A Vision for Empires ). In the following volume, Sinan, an Architectural Genius ( Sinan, An Architectural Genius ), Ertuğ takes a close look at Mimar Sinan (1490–1588), the builder of the elegant Selimiye Mosque in Edirne and the mosques that define the Istanbul skyline . These buildings were an expression of the great power of the Ottomans in Sinan's time . Their splendor is also the subject of several illustrated books, including: Silks for the Sultans or Reflections of Paradise.

Here Ahmet Ertuğ's experience as an architect becomes important for his photography. He identifies himself strongly with the main master builder of the sultans and illuminates Sinan's architectural language expertly. The illustrated book Ephesus goes from this high point of architectural expression back to the ancient times to the ruins of Ephesus in western Turkey. The subsequent photo book Spiritual Journey ( Spiritual Journey ) takes the Paris in book form the collection of Far Eastern art Guimet Museum in. This volume on Asian art provides a meaningful counterpoint to the list of the cultural achievements of Europe photographically documented by Ahmet Ertuğ.

2009 Ahmet Ertuğ has its portfolio photographs of historic European libraries by the book temple of knowledge: the West Libraries ( Temples of Knowledge: Libraries of the Western World ) added and the list expands its publications. His last photographic project documents the architecture of large opera houses and was released in December 2010 under the title Palaces of Music: The Opera Houses of Europe (Palaces of Music: Opera Houses of Europe) . Michael Forsyth and Rolf Sachsse contributed texts .
In 2012, the band followed Gods of Nemrud: The Royal Sanctuary of Antiochus & the Kingdom of Commagene , the photographically with the archaeological material from Commagene addresses of the first century BC, which the local kingdom of Antiochus I is associated. RRR Smith wrote the text .
All illustrated books have been published in at least folio format.

Selected books

• Silks for the Sultans: Ottoman Imperial Garments from Topkapi Palace (1996)
• Hagia Sophia: A Vision for Empires ; Text by Cyril Mango (1997)
• Gardens of Paradise: 16th Century Turkish Ceramic Tile Decoration ; Text by Walter Denny (1997)
• Sinan: to Architectural Genius ; Text by Doğan Kuban (1999)
• Anatolian Carpets: Masterpieces from the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Istanbul ; Text by Walter Denny & Nacan Olcer (1999)
• Chora: The Scrolls of Heaven ; Text by Cyril Mango (2000)
• Sculptured for Eternity: Treasures of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Art from the Istanbul Archaeological Museum ; text by RRR Smith (2001)
• Spiritual Journey: Sacred Art from Musée Guimet ; with texts by the curators of the museum (2004)
• Sacred Art of Cappadocia: Byzantine murals from the 6th to 13th Centuries ; Text by Catherine-Jolivet Levy (2006)
• Ephesus: Architecture, Monuments and Sculpture ; text written by members of the Archaeological Institute of Austria (2007)
• Aphrodisias: Roman Asian Architecture, Monuments and Sculpture ; Text by RRR Smith, director of the excavations at Aphrodisias (2008)
• Temples of Knowledge: Libraries of the Western World ; Text by Friedrich Krizinger (2009)
• Gods of Nemrud: The Royal Sanctuary of Antiochos & the Kingdom of Commagene ; Text by RRR Smith (2012)

Permanent exhibitions

Ahmet Ertuğ's photographs can be viewed in the upper, northern gallery of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul as an extensive, permanent exhibition. The Vienna Ephesos Museum also constantly shows his works on the subject.

Quotes

“I always put myself in the architect's position, I even instinctively know where to put my camera - it is the place where the architect stood when he was assessing his work.” (Ahmet Ertuğ, 2009).

"Through years of study and artistic practice I have learned that the basis of creativity is comprehensive knowledge of one's own origin." (Ahmet Ertuğ, 2009)

Web links

• Ahmet Ertuğ's website with image galleries
• Ahmet Ertuğ's illustrated books in the libraries of the State Museums in Berlin

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Temple of Knowledge: Libraries in the Western world ( Temples of Knowledge: Libraries of the Western World )
2. ↑ Palaces of Music: Opera Houses of Europe