Suranaree J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 20 No. 3; July - September 2013 249

TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES IN TRADITION AND PRIVILEGE OF TURKISH TILE ART

Murat Bayazit* Received: August 22, 2012; Revised: April 18, 2013; Accepted: May 1, 2013

Abstract

In the last 2 decades technology has created great developments in both and art. Various technological have emerged as a result of numerous researches related primarily to advanced materials. While impressive changes were seen in industrial fields, art has also been influenced by technology. , known as the oldest art, has always been affected by both social and industrial changes, because it is both an art and also a science. Ceramics has a wide range of uses in science which are directly related to its applications in industry such as paint, textiles, automotive products, and construction. As an art, ceramics has a very different application including cultural approaches. Art tiles are one of the most outstanding examples of ceramics art. Consisting of specific figures, motifs, and colors, art tiles have a significant place in both Turkish and . Technology has never been able to find a way to change the cultural mentality, so this art has protected its privilege for centuries. This study discusses the effects of technology on and evaluates the current status of Turkish art tiles. Keywords: Art, technology, Turkish tile art, Çini

Introduction Although only electronic materials may come of the technology because of their necessity to mind when the word “technology” is used, in life. it has multiple different meanings. Humans While technology provides facilities in have used technological tools in their daily human life, it also necessarily causes some lives since ancient times. Numerous kinds of permanent changes. Society’s values (in a technical goods have been invented which conventional way) also change parallel to have sometimes complicated verysimple technology and sometimes those values may procedures. Humans have also been interested face the danger of extinction. For example, in in art, so they began to usetheir elementary the last century the increase of technical knowledge combined with their souls, equipment triggered industrialization and, thoughts, and dreams. Both the tools used in thus, technological, digital, and artificial humans’ daily needs and the artifacts which products began to be seen. Positive changes have brought spiritual satisfaction were parts seen in artistic and traditional products with

Batman University, Fine Arts Faculty, Batman, 72100, . E-mail: [email protected] * Corresponding author Suranaree J. Sci. Technol. 20(3):249-256 250 Technological Approaches in Ceramic Tradition and Privilege of Turkish Tile Art this progress cannot be ignored; however, humans needed residential areas and a regular excess use of technology will drag them to means of construction, so social life saw the extinction. Ceramic art, which is one of the creation of communities and the generation of oldest and most well-known plastic arts in civilizations through making divisions of history, is one which has witnessed a very labor. Technology showed itself at this point important part in history in this respect. and began to provide benefits for humans. For Today, ceramics has many applications in the instance, humans both eased and increased fields of both art and industry, so it would not manufacture by decreasing the workload be wrong to mention that technological required for the production of goods and developments in the use of ceramic materials services. Thus, there was also a rise in the indicates that their importance will still be standard of living. But, it created adverse protected. In an artistic sense, technological effects in addition to these benefits; technology approaches have found their rightful place in disturbed the natural balance of life, caused the time periods in which the concept of environmental pollution, and depletion of art was perceived as a contradiction or natural resources, so that it has now resulted irregularity, but such approaches were not in dissatisfaction (Günay and Arıduru, 2001). always adopted and they were excluded by Throughout human history it has been artists and other people who had traditional seen that technological differences between approaches to their art. communities have played a crucial role in In an industrial sense, it is not possible their superiority or the maintenance of their to stop the progress in technology and the existence. For example, in the 4th and 5th alterations it has created. However, this centuries AD., a major factor in the defeat of situation should be controlled, because it is the Central European people by the Western not only important to ensure the best in the Huns was the technological supremacy of the way of change for all life at present, but also nomadic peoples, because they had transformed for future generations. To attain this aim, the horse into a weapon of war that was maintaining the use of technology and science described as “horse technology”; in other for the benefit of society is required (Güvenç, words, the “tank technology” of that era. The 2004). Mongols of Genghis Khan (Cengiz Han) took advantage of the same dominance in th th A Historical Approach to Technology West European in the 12 and 13 centuries (Güvenç, 2004; Bronowsky, 2009). Technology has helped people to live in harmony with nature and to create a civilized Technology and Globalization life. People who had very little information about nature lived a simple life with simple People are living in a complicated world goods ever since ancient times and they did which has been divided into various categories, not always know how to utilize the animals such as the knowledge society, information and plants they encountered in their society, industry society, and post-modern environment into their lives and how to take society, in the last quarter of the 20th century. advantage of them. People, inspired by nature There is a consensus that this fundamental for their housing, firstly used caves and tree transformation was the third stage after the cavities, then they began to use animal leathers Agricultural Revolution, which identified the in order to adapt to seasonal conditions. With transition from a nomadic (primitive) society the discovery of fire, people obtained a degree into an agricultural society around 8000 BC, of control over nature and began to move light and the Industrial Revolution which occurred and heat to wherever they went. Then, they between 1765-1850 AD; it is believed that one learned how to domesticate animals and grow of the most distinctive qualifications of this plants. With the development of farming, third stage was globalization (TUSIAD, 1994; Suranaree J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 20 No. 3; July - September 2013 251

Günay and Arıduru, 1999). used in various fields such as construction, Countries have started to come together textiles, paint, the aerospace and military with globalization, and departing from this industries, the production of electronic togetherness is akin to breaking off from the materials, heat, and sound insulation materials, rest of the world. Technology plays a crucial filters etc., and they provide high incomes for role in this situation. Countries in both war those involved with ceramics. For example, and peacetime shape their energy policies in ferroelectric ceramics were discovered in the accordance with the rules brought about by early 1940s and, since that time, they have globalization and technology. As all games been a big part of multibillion dollar industries have rules, there are some defining and such as high-dielectric-constant capacitors, limiting lines in these energy policies as well. positive temperature coefficient devices, Despite this, many countries still distort the piezoelectric transducers, and electrooptic rules; thus, there are many debates primarily light valves (Haertling, 1999). On the other about energy policies. After the reduction of hand, in an artistic sense, ceramics has an raw materials used as energy sources, people important place among the plastic arts. In have begun to show a great demand for ancient times, different color shades were renewable energy sources and countries obtained (particularly various tones of yellow, with natural resources have become more , and ) as a result of realizing that the advantageous than others in this respect. Even color can be changed by taking advantage of the excessive degradation of the natural the firing atmosphere; thus, the first steps equilibrium because of the Industrial Revolution were taken in terms of coloring with the natural firing techniques (Issi et al., 2011). was noticed by humans too late; several studies People who succeeded in obtaining different have been initiated in order to minimize this shades of colors in oxidizing and reducing negative situation in recent years. Historical environments brought an artistic identity to heritages have been damaged as much as ceramic products by also ornamenting them nature in the context of unplanned and with animal and plant figures and other irregular energy policies. Some historical natural formations. Then they developed their residential areas and cultural heritages products with some techniques based on which have been left under the water levels of handicrafts such as carving and pasting. With dams that have been constructed have, time, firing techniques have changed and unconsciously, initiated a different debate. therefore many different ceramic products Uncontrolled use of technology and energy is have emerged belonging to different periods seen as primarily responsible for this. The and civilizations. The most important control of consumption has been redundant evidence of these alterations is the in the use of energy and technology, so it archaeological excavations carried out in has brought dissatisfaction, discontent, and historical regions and archaeometric researches selfishness. applied on ceramics () which are mostly encountered in salvage excavations. Technological Applications in Today, the digital environment brought Ceramic Art about by technology has come together with artificial intelligence and this combination has There have been many changes in terms of resulted in products that cannot be clearly technique and technology since the period defined because of their controversial when only soil and water were used in ceramic relationships with reality. Albeit that the art. Ceramic wares which were shaped technological implementations which provide according to the needs of the people started great ease in the context of design have with pottery, then gained an artistic identity, accomplished approaches in the sense of the and are now even used in aforementioned relationships, these applications sciences with today’s technology. They are are far from being artistic and traditional. 252 Technological Approaches in Ceramic Tradition and Privilege of Turkish Tile Art

Turkish Art Tile (Çini) (Öney, 1987). The culture of the art tile that has been adopted and preserved by the Turks Since the Neolithic period (6000 BC), soil has in every sense was improved particularly in been shaped and used in order to ease the the 15th and 16th centuries. It is today possible daily workload and the first pottery was to see this evolution in many historical produced having a cream colored undercoat structures of the different periods thanks to with mostly large, red, bold geometrical their chemical and physical endurance. patterns (Cooper, 1978). After becoming an Apart from their structural stability, art art, fired have been used in tiles are also important in providing superficial ornamentation and construction in architecture. and textural permanence in constructions. Numerous colors and shades were applied on Under normal conditions, it is not likely for those products and they gave rise them to be excessively degraded or eroded. to new approaches in terms of both production Additionally, in the art of Turkish tiles techniques and the raw materials used. Art important developments have occurred, tiles are a unique type of those earthenwares especially the under-glaze technique evolved which have been used by ancient civilizations by artisans in the 16th century which has as borders and with their geometrical- allowed the tiles to remain intact for many symmetrical patterns, with various shades and years with their original colors; and that style combinations of mainly and cobalt brought vibrant and clear colors because the colors (Dağlı, 1998; Tatar et al., 2004). Art ornamentations were covered with a glassy tiles, ceramic products produced by double layer in their manufacture. Thus, they are both firing and also including decorating and durable and aesthetic (Gyözö, 1986; Tatar glazing (Yamik and Dinçer, 1999), are the one et al., 2004). of the most important styles in art history Another striking issue concerned with and are named “Çini” in Turkish. The first the art of tiles is the traditional patterns and examples of art tiles were architectural motifs used. The themes preferred in tiles decorations utilized for providing an aesthetic are generally shaped so as to reflect the design for interior and exterior venues, and communities they belong to by also improving they were dated to around 3000 BC (Dağlı, and renewing themselves. Therefore, in any 1998). Frequently preferred in daily life and art tile product, the items depicted reveal the also used in architecture, particularly in the culture to which they belong. Ottoman period, Turkish tiles are one of the Turks have used the art of ceramics in most significant and unique examples of various forms just as humans have done Asian handicrafts. These products with their throughout history, but they have paid special cultural motifs and bright colors have become attention to ceramics especially in the art of a symbol of that period. Today, the production tiles. This can be proved by some historical of these tiles mainly continues in Kütahya, details about ceramic production in Anatolia. , and Iznik. For instance, it is known that the Karakhanids Art tiles, in terms of architecture, can be \used ceramics in their constructions, the defined as the earthenwares applied as internal Great Seljuks changed the techniques applied and external facade coating materials having on ceramics, and the Anatolian Seljuks the shapes of stars, polygons, or squares, and provided originality and continued that art. having a colored, translucent, sometimes Turkish ceramic products were called “evani” glazed, smooth, or embossed, decorated surface (meaning pottery) and “kâşi” (meaning “of (Dağlı, 1998). These tiles were firstly used Kâşan”) referring to the city that was accepted on Egyptian pyramids in 3000 BC (as an as the center of ceramics during the period of architectural material) and they have been the Great Seljuks). But then, during a military shown in many cultural structures since the campaign in , the Turkish emperor Yavuz time of Christ by regeneration and change Sultan Selim (Selim I.) brought back some Suranaree J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 20 No. 3; July - September 2013 253

Chinese ceramic wares with him and those cultures; thus Iznik tiles became famous and products affected Turkish ceramic wares well-known products, which facilitates the which have subsequently changed their name follow-up and definition of those tiles today. to “çini” meaning “of China” (Yetkin, 1984; Iznik tiles can be accepted as the most Satir, 2007). significant art works in the context of In Anatolia, especially with the high understanding, promoting, interpreting, and level of prosperity in the Ottoman period, preserving the art of Turkish tiles. Although there were significant improvements in art the Iznik tiles began to disappear in the 17th products, and the level of century because of economic and social increased in tandem with the improvements. reasons, they are still important in terms of Alongside these developments, the use of ceramic art and traditional handicrafts all over natural beings in art has been adopted by the world. Most recipes, techniques, and kiln Turks and carried forward throughout time conditions used in the manufacture of Iznik with Islam. Some branches of arts and crafts tiles have also disappeared with the extinction such as tiles, miniatures, carpet weaving, of the art in the region, so all of those parameters working, and stone processing, all of have become like a special secret. Today, which are mass produced by Turks,have been there are some projects being carried out by successfully shown in both architecture and universities, institutions, and other foundations goods in daily use with their floral motifs. to reproduce those tiles with the specific features Tiles, wood working, and processing they had in the past in order to revive their have been incorporated into historical artistic essence (Anonymous, 1992; Duymaz, structures such as the Selimiye, Süleymaniye, 1998). and Sultan Ahmet which are unique In the history of Anatolia, Kütahya has works of Ottoman architecture, and also in the always been known as the “city of ceramics”. aesthetic figures carved on old Ottoman This term came to the fore in the Ottoman tombstones which contain important information period with the art of tiles. It is known that the about intensive use of flowers in Turkish art Phrygians, who are accepted as the first (Cinar and Kirca, 2010). community that had a settled life in Kütahya, produced ceramics by shaping and firing the Tile Art in Iznik and Kütahya soil, and used patterned and decorated forms (Turkey) instead of a simple surface. The Phrygians had been under the influence of the Hittites, so Tile processing has been one of the essential they had similar features in terms of art as arts and handicrafts in Anatolia ever since well. Ceramics manufacturing emerged in tiles have been used in daily life and also in Kütahya in this way and it has continued architecture. This craft has been primarily mainly in Iznik, Kütahya, and Istanbul which carried out in Iznik, Kütahya, Konya, and were the production centers of ceramics (art Istanbul. Iznik tiles were the most special tiles) in both the Seljuk and Ottoman periods products used in Seljuk and Ottoman (Anonymous, 1992; Duymaz, 1998). Two architecture due to their unique characteristic examples for Kütahya art tiles are shown in features such as glossy glazes, figures, motifs, Figure 1, and an example of a traditional and vitreous texture which are all being Turkish tile pattern is shown in Figure 2, both studied today. They were used and exhibited of which have been reproduced with permission in caravanserais, palaces, and Turkish baths in of the Kütahya Art Tile Museum management. Istanbul (the most significant city of that period for both Europe and Asia). It can be Conclusions seen that those art works have been preserved safely in these venues, and they have been Art has been affected by permanent changes, visited by people from various, different and cultural and artistic movements which 254 Technological Approaches in Ceramic Tradition and Privilege of Turkish Tile Art emerged after the Industrial Revolution; an art but also a craft. nevertheless, it has begun to keep pace with Nowadays, ceramic materials have a the technological developments that effectively very important place in both science and art. emerged in the 21st century. In recent years, Ceramic materials that are used in numerous there has appeared a concept which we may industrial productions have also come forward call “back to conventionalism” or “longing for in art terms. Shaping, ornamenting, and firing conventionalism”. This can be likened to processes of soil date back to prehistoric times. radical decisions taken by communities in the Earthenwares have been a tradition and life 20th century towards art and culture. Cultural style for many civilizations and so they have products which were manufactured in been adapted to socio-economic, technological, traditional ways have probably been the art and cultural conditions of different ages. Both and craft products least affected by the changes technological and traditional ceramics have (in terms of traditional expressions and the always served humans, thus these earthenwares methods used). But in spite of everything, it have succeeded in finding a special place for should not be ignored that it is still possible themselves throughout all the changes that for them to face extinction and oblivion. One have occurred throughout the history of of the most significant examples that can mankind. The most appropriate example for demonstrate this situation is ceramics which is this is Turkish art tiles (çini). These tiles have

Figure 1. Turkish tile with floral ornaments applied on traditionally painted fabric (a) and Turkish tile with figurative ornaments (b)

Figure 2. Image showing an example of traditional art tile pattern used in ornamentation process Suranaree J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 20 No. 3; July - September 2013 255 been mentioned in literature through the in 2010 with the contributions of the Ministry centuries with their sometimes glossy, of Culture and , the Governorship of sometimes matt views, vivid colors, glazes, Kütahya, Kütahya Municipality, Dumlupınar patterns, and figures containing cultural University, the Chamber of Trade and Industry themes. So, they have conveyed the social and of Kütahya, and the Union of Tile Masters artistic mentalities of the periods to which (ceramists). Local and foreign artists, designers, they belonged. In this context, maintaining industry professionals, and academics who are and preserving this art is of the utmost interested in ceramics, art tile, glass, glazes, importance nowadays. and enamels came together for this congress. Today, in Turkey, one of the largest-scale Various representations concerned with new art tile productions is carried out in Kütahya ceramic production technologies were exhibited where there are a total of 172 plants involved during the symposium, so participants found in producing art tiles including manufacturers, the opportunity to share their experiences and factories, marketers, and designers as of knowledge and also to discuss the problems 2008-2009 (Bayartan, 2008). The majority of encountered in the ceramics sector. the products from these enterprises are As mentioned before, the supporting and exported; others are exhibited and sold in the sustaining of Turkish art tiles from the city for the purpose of tourism. In these plants, Ottoman period until now has been very the younger generations have the opportunity significant in terms of preserving conven- of taking lessons about this art and learning tionalism in Anatolia. Although international the subtleties of the handicraft. These enterprises activities and the mentality of museum and also workshops additionally give information management and , which are important about raw materials used in the tiles and some parameters in this context, seem effective for small but unique tips about the preparation of now, there should be a degree of permanence special production formulae. Consequently, in this regard. Even though terra cotta products, these places have a great significance in terms which have a considerable importance in terms of the sustainability of this tradition. of the culture and economy, show changes Kütahya is a favorable city for students parallel to technological improvements, they who are studying ceramics in fine arts high should be protected by the communities to schools and faculties, because there are many which they belong, and their manufacture sale points for ceramics. Thus, students can should be carried on into the future with their easily supply all their needs for ceramic own basic features. production such as plastic and metal hand tools, ceramic casting slurry or plastic clays, Acknowledgements and various types of glazes, dyes, and mini ceramic kilns. These developments are I am grateful to the Kütahya Art Tile Museum encouraging in terms of art tiles which have and Metin Türktüzün, the manager of the an important place in traditional Turkish museum, for providing a considerable amount handcrafts. As in other parts of the world, of literature about Turkish and Kütahya art local and international organizations are tiles, and the photographs of the tile and pattern extremely significant in Turkey. The activities examples used in this study. which are related to reviving and preserving traditional handcrafts within the cultural References heritage create a pool of knowledge and culture. In this sense, one of the most striking Anonymous. (1992). Kutahya. Yurt Encyclopedia, and successful undertakings was the 3rd Istanbul, Turkey, 7:5293-5297. Bayartan, M. (2008). Ceramics of Kutahya from the International Symposium on Traditional Kü point of the functions of city. Istanbul University st tahyaware and the 1 Eurasia Ceramics Department of Geography, Journal of Geography, Congress which was organized in Kütahya 17:37-45. 256 Technological Approaches in Ceramic Tradition and Privilege of Turkish Tile Art

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