To Understand Mehmet Gürsoy's Love for Iznik Tiles and Ceramics

To understand the Mehmet Gürsoy's love for the art of tile, especially for the Iznik tiles, needs to see and understand the nature of tile art, the nature that reflects beauty.  It is a part of our historical heritage, and history of iznik tile arts, is reflected in the beauty of nature, and therefore of the beauty of God and of the balanced motifs established in nature.  This reflection is sometimes applied to stylized tulips, roses, carnations, pomegranates and hyacinths;  Sometimes as compositions of legendary or real animal and plant motifs, such as dragon, zümrüd-i anka, lion.  Stylization in the motifs is a result of the artist's quest for simplicity in the search for the beautiful, reaching to God through the depicted beings, reflecting God and finding himself.  From a realistic point of view, these beings, taken from nature, are drawn and interpreted in a simplistic way of expressing great respect.  Being artists were afraid to reflect the Creator's perfect creation, they did not insist on drawing the perfect one.  On the other hand, they have reflected the delicacies of themselves and their artistic powers with their interpretations of motifs and compositions.

Mehmet Gürsoy investigated the raw materials, color and pattern qualities used in Iznik tiles produced between the end of the 15th century and the 18th century;  Especially the Iznik tiles produced in the 16th century.  Having researched the colors and techniques lost in order to rediscover the Iznik tile, Gürsoy designed and applied new compositions as well as classical İznik compositions.  When the works produced based on the Iznik tiles are examined, the existence of their own tradition is seen.Gürsoy, who has been in iznik tile art for the past 40 years, has always wanted to reach the most beautiful and perfect.  "God is beautiful and loves everything that is beautiful. If he has blessed a worship, he will see the traces of that blessing in his servant, therefore the most beautiful one must be reached. "Surely Allah is beautiful and loves everything that is beautiful.  If he has blessed a worship, he will see the traces of that blessing in his servant, therefore the most beautiful one must be reached.  According to Gürsoy, human beings are the most beautiful of all created and, in this sense, grace and beauty must be presented to humanity.

Mehmet Gürsoy, who realized the rebirth of İznik tiles, which is forgotten in the depths of history, has made it a duty to introduce, live and convey to the future the national and international scene with all the values he carries with Turkish art of tiles and especially Iznik tiles.  Mehmet Gürsoy has been continuing his art journey for nearly 40 years with a never-ending enthusiasm with intense production, strong experience and artistic training.

The basis of the study, which aims to train and document the traces of this journey, dates back to 1998 when I began to refer to it as a painting teacher in Kütahya.  Could it be a more natural desire to learn this art as a painting teacher living in the center of tile art.  When I first saw Mehmet Gürsoy's work in the glazed tile, which I worked on for the first time, I was enchanted by the beauty and brilliance of the colors. The effect of that growth continued ... I did not stay away from the art of tiles except I had given in 2005 due to my doctoral studies in Eskişehir.  I started again to work on Iznik tiles in 2009 in Kütahya. I was able to learn only the first letter of a great aesthetic qualities and application subtleties for three years under the guidance of Mehmet Gürsoy. I could find a little bit of patience, trust, beauty and beauty in the nature of traditional arts ...

I have already presented the work of Mehmet Gürsoy as a declaration at national and international academic meetings.

"Dr. Şirin Şengel ( Eskisehir Osmangazi University -Faculty of  Art and Design - Head of Visual Communication Design Department )