Süleyman Seyyid

He taught art in military schools for 36 years and is considered to be a member of the first generation of modern Turkish painters in the Ottoman Empire.

Süleyman Seyyid lived a pious lifestyle, valuing modesty and refuting material rewards and possessions.

At school, his charcoal sketches and watercolor paintings caught the attention of one of his teachers, Giovanni Schranz (1794-1882), a Maltese painter who was visiting Istanbul at the time.

After his time at that school, he later studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, France in the studios of Alexandre Cabanel[3] for about 8 years.

Turkish art historians have credited such artists as bringing the “true” Western practices learned directly at the Parisian academies, as opposed to past imitations.

[4] As Süleyman Seyyid had taught at military schools for a total of 36 years, he rose to the rank of Colonel (Miralay) [2] in 1910 and became a very well known artist among officers, doctors, and other professionals.

He gave French language and painting lessons to children of more wealthy families, and wrote articles on art for Istikbal and Ottoman newspapers.

In contrast to the Orientalist painters at this time, Süleyman Seyyid's pieces included all natural objects such as oranges, lilacs, figs, watermelon, and tulips.

[4] Specifically, he chose elements from Üsküdar, a densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey where he found many subjects as a source of beauty.

Additional places he found such beauty in were Çamlıca, Kısıklı, Bulgurlu, Hekimbaşı, Dudullu, Kayışdağı, Alemdağ, and Fenerbahçe.