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The Anatolian art of
hand-printed textiles |
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The hand-printing of
textiles, one of Anatolia's most prized
handicrafts, is still
practiced today at Tokat and Kastamonu.
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‘Yazma'
is the name given to the
application of designs to textiles either directly with a brush,
or using a wooden mold on which the design has been carved in
relief, or in combination.
The second
is known as 'block-printing'in
the West. Although the hand-printing of textiles first developed
in the cultural melting pot of Anatolia, the most beautiful
specimens today are found in Istanbul. Based on examples from
the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, which provide information
about the history of hand-printed textiles, the major centers
for this art in the Ottoman period were Amasra, Bartm,
Diyarbakfr, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Kastamonu, Tokat, Yozgat
and Zile. The loveliest specimens from Istanbul, which rose to
prominence with its hand-painted 'Kandilli' textiles, highly
prized for their artistry, were produced in the 17th, 18th and
19th centuries.
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COLOR AFTER COLOR,
DESIGN UPON DESIGN
Three basic methods are used in the art of handprinting
textiles: handpainting, block-printing or
a combination of the two.
The original printed textiles were hand-painted, with the
block-printing process developing later. The instrument
used, known as a 'kalem', is in fact a brush which the
master printer employs with consummate skill as if writing
with a pencil. Production of such hand-printed textiles
commences with the application of designs previously drawn
on paper. to a piece of cloth stretched over a frame. The
outlines are first traced using only a brush, and the areas
to be colored are then |
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filled in, exactly as if
making a painting. Prints of this type are also known as
'handprints '. In the combined technique, the outlines are
first printed on the cloth
with a
wooden mold, and the colors then filled in with a brush. In
block-printing both the black outlines and the colored reas
are applied to the cloth using appropriate molds. Such
designs are carved in wooden molds by master printers using
special knives. The beauty and refinement of the surviving
examples of such molds attest to the high level of expertise
attained in this art during the period. |
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Formerly
natural dyes were used on hand-printed textiles for applying
the colors, which are laden with symbolic meaning. Lovely reds and yellows,
extracted from various plants and insects, were transmitted
to the cloth in
a
wide variety of designs. With the invention of the first
synthetic dyes in the mid1800s and the subsequent rapid
development of the chemical dye industry, natural dyes
largely disappeared from handprinted textiles. Although the
motifs and compositions on traditionally produced textiles
colored with natural dyes exhibit regional differences, the
predominance of nature manifests itself in this as in all
branches of Turkish art. Motifs such as stylized tulips,
carnations, cherries, and pomegranate trees are frequently
encountered alongside the occasional stag, horse, cock,
sparrow and peacock motif. |
Block-printing requires
patience and manual dexterity. The best molds are those
carved from linden wood |
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Products of the Turkish art
of hand-printed textiles fall into two categories,
'Karakalem' and 'Elvan', depending on the coloring method
used. The former are produced by applying black dye on white
cloth with a mold. The 'a§mdlrma' prints made on black cloth
also belong in this group. Even the colorful 'elvan' prints
always use black to outline the designs. Such black contours
are common to all the regions despite regional differences
in design and color.
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DELICATE ISTANBUL
PRINTS
Istanbul prints exhibit a refinement of taste
and feeling and all the beauties of nature in a
multiplicity of colors. Since Istanbul was the capital
of the Ottoman empire, the designs and compositions used
in the art of printing interacted with all the other
handicrafts, such as embroidery and tiles. The primarily
symmetrical floral compositions on hand-printed textiles
are
either dyed
separately or in groups. Black, brown and dark red tones
predominate on the prints of Tokat. |
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The most
salient characteristic of 'karakalem' and 'elvan' prints which
employ the block-printing method is that the design covers the
entire surface of the cloth. Apple and cherry designs are the
most common on Tokat prints. While the predominance of black is
conspicuous on Kastamonu prints with their circular
compositions, colorful flowers printed on
a black field are a style
peculiar to Bartm.
Prints from the Gaziantep
region meanwhile distinguish themselves by both materials used
and techniques employed: the design is applied on silk using the
techniques of printing and tie-dyeing. While fluidity and ease
of exposition attest to the expertise of the printers despite
regional differences in composition or color, the designs that
characterize the Turkish art of hand-printed textiles are yet
another illustration of the richness of Anatolian culture.
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The use on the crocheted
borders of the same floral shapes printed on the cloth is a
beautiful example of the way these two handicrafts developed
hand in hand
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HAND-PRINTED TEXTILES IN THE
PALACE
Hand-printed
textiles such
as head
scarves, quilt covers, tablecloths, prayer mats, pillowcases,
handkerchiefs, couch covers, napkins, towels, shirts and turbans
were some of the highly prized items in the palace during
Ottoman times. Among them, those still used widely today are the
'yemeni' or head scarves, whose names vary from region.
Elaborately crocheted borders, three-dimensional like lace, are
characteristic of such head scarves. As in the art of
hand-printing, the most common motifs used for these border
decorations are the stylized forms inspired by nature. The use
on the crocheted borders of the same floral shapes printed on
the cloth is a beautiful example of the way these two
handicrafts developed hand in hand. The art of
block-printing, which constitutes the essence of the advanced
technologies later developed for the printing" of cloth, is
slowly vanishing today. The traditional art of hand printing
cloth, once practiced so intensively in several regions of
Anatolia survives today on a limited scale in Tokat and
Kastamonu.
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Source: Skylife 01/04 |
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Yrd.
Doç. Dr. İdil Akbostancı & Nusret Nurdan Eren |
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