Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı (1904-1998)
Painting was definitely something new under the sun for Turks at the turn of the 20th century as painting has been prohibited by Islam. In such a climate, being a female artist was even more challenging as women were considered as second class citizens in all walks of life during the Ottoman Empire. The transformation came with the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923 which firmly believed in the idea of gender equality and promoted the education of women in all areas.
Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı had a chance to flourish as an artist in such a climate. She has had a chance to study first in Munich and Berlin and later at the Academy of Fine Arts in istanbul where she was educated as an illustrator and a painter.
Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı’s student card in the Munich Academy
Inside the Studio of the Academy of Fine Arts where Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı was trained between 1923-1929
Sabiha Rüştü Bozcalı is considered as the first female illustrator in Turkey. What makes her even more interesting is that she was one of the leading artists of the İstanbul Encyclopaedia prepared by historian Reşat Ekrem Koçu for which she made 901 paintings of İstanbul.
You can have a glimpse at her paintings depicting a wide range of landscapes of İstanbul from Üsküdar to Rumeli Hisarı.
Haghia Sophia by the artist
This talented female artist deserves to be remembered for her courage to be a part of the art scene and leaving us a visual memory of İstanbul’s past!
