The Semantic Universe of the Wolf Figure in Turkish Mythology and Its Symbolic Interpretations in Contemporary Turkish Painting

Tuğrul Alpaslan Damgacı

Makale detayları

The Semantic Universe of the Wolf Figure in Turkish Mythology and Its Symbolic Interpretations in Contemporary Turkish Painting

Yazarlar:

Tuğrul Alpaslan Damgacı

Yayıncı:

Gaziantep University

Ana Başlıklar:

Güzel Sanatlar | Resim

Dergi:

IDEART Uluslararası Tasarım ve Sanat Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.95-110

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351425

pISSN:

2980-2342

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 This study examines the relationship between the historical functions of the wolf figure in foundational narratives of Turkish mythology and its representations in contemporary Turkish painting. Within the framework of mythological memory in Central Asia, the cultural, ideological, and symbolic meanings attributed to the wolf figure are analyzed in a historical context through narratives such as Wu-sun Efsanesi, Bozkurt Efsanesi among the Göktürks, Ergenekon Destanı, and Oğuz Kağan Destanı. The research is structured according to the qualitative method, employing historical research and descriptive visual analysis techniques within the scope of the general survey model. In this context, mythological texts are examined through a document-based approach, followed by an analysis of wolf representations in the works of Ratip Tahir Burak, Mehmet Başbuğ, Rauf Tuncer, and Mehmet Sağ, focusing on each artists formal preferences, narrative language, and cultural references. The selection of these artists is based on their unique visual approaches to the wolf figure and their reinterpretation of mythological symbols within the framework of contemporary art. The visual analysis emphasizes the wolfs compositional position, formal qualities, symbolic meaning, and connection to historical narratives. This study aims to reveal the continuity from oral culture to visual production and offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the reconstruction of a mythological figure within contemporary artistic practices, thereby contributing an original dimension to the field.

 This study examines the relationship between the historical functions of the wolf figure in foundational narratives of Turkish mythology and its representations in contemporary Turkish painting. Within the framework of mythological memory in Central Asia, the cultural, ideological, and symbolic meanings attributed to the wolf figure are analyzed in a historical context through narratives such as Wu-sun Efsanesi, Bozkurt Efsanesi among the Göktürks, Ergenekon Destanı, and Oğuz Kağan Destanı. The research is structured according to the qualitative method, employing historical research and descriptive visual analysis techniques within the scope of the general survey model. In this context, mythological texts are examined through a document-based approach, followed by an analysis of wolf representations in the works of Ratip Tahir Burak, Mehmet Başbuğ, Rauf Tuncer, and Mehmet Sağ, focusing on each artists formal preferences, narrative language, and cultural references. The selection of these artists is based on their unique visual approaches to the wolf figure and their reinterpretation of mythological symbols within the framework of contemporary art. The visual analysis emphasizes the wolfs compositional position, formal qualities, symbolic meaning, and connection to historical narratives. This study aims to reveal the continuity from oral culture to visual production and offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the reconstruction of a mythological figure within contemporary artistic practices, thereby contributing an original dimension to the field.

 This study examines the relationship between the historical functions of the wolf figure in foundational narratives of Turkish mythology and its representations in contemporary Turkish painting. Within the framework of mythological memory in Central Asia, the cultural, ideological, and symbolic meanings attributed to the wolf figure are analyzed in a historical context through narratives such as Wu-sun Efsanesi, Bozkurt Efsanesi among the Göktürks, Ergenekon Destanı, and Oğuz Kağan Destanı. The research is structured according to the qualitative method, employing historical research and descriptive visual analysis techniques within the scope of the general survey model. In this context, mythological texts are examined through a document-based approach, followed by an analysis of wolf representations in the works of Ratip Tahir Burak, Mehmet Başbuğ, Rauf Tuncer, and Mehmet Sağ, focusing on each artists formal preferences, narrative language, and cultural references. The selection of these artists is based on their unique visual approaches to the wolf figure and their reinterpretation of mythological symbols within the framework of contemporary art. The visual analysis emphasizes the wolfs compositional position, formal qualities, symbolic meaning, and connection to historical narratives. This study aims to reveal the continuity from oral culture to visual production and offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the reconstruction of a mythological figure within contemporary artistic practices, thereby contributing an original dimension to the field.

 Bu çalışma, Türk mitolojisinin köklü anlatılarında yer alan kurt figürünün tarihsel işlevleri ile çağdaş Türk resim sanatındaki temsilleri arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Orta Asya mitolojik hafızasında Wu-sun Efsanesi, Göktürklerde Bozkurt Efsanesi, Ergenekon Destanı ve Oğuz Kağan Destanı gibi anlatılar çerçevesinde, kurt figürünün taşıdığı kültürel, ideolojik ve sembolik anlamlar tarihsel bağlam içerisinde değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırma, nitel yöntem doğrultusunda yapılandırılmış olup, genel tarama modeli temelinde tarihsel araştırma ve betimsel resim analizi tekniklerinden yararlanılmıştır. Bu kapsamda mitolojik metinler belge temelli bir yaklaşımla çözümlenmiş; ardından Ratip Tahir Burak, Mehmet Başbuğ, Rauf Tuncer ve Mehmet Sağa ait eserlerdeki kurt figürü temsilleri, sanatçının biçimsel tercihleri, anlatım dili ve kültürel göndermeleri üzerinden analiz edilmiştir. Sanatçıların seçiminde, kurt figürünü özgün biçimsel ve anlatımsal stratejilerle ele alarak mitolojik simgeleri çağdaş sanat bağlamında yeniden yorumlamaları belirleyici olmuştur. Betimsel analiz sürecinde figürün kompozisyon içindeki konumu, biçimsel yapısı, sembolik anlamı ve tarihsel anlatılarla kurduğu ilişki dikkate alınmıştır. Çalışma, sözlü kültürden görsel üretime uzanan bir sürekliliği görünür kılarken; mitolojik bir figürün çağdaş sanat üretimi içindeki yeniden inşasına disiplinler arası bir perspektif sunarak alana özgün bir katkı sağlamayı hedeflemektedir.

Makale detayları

The Semantic Universe of the Wolf Figure in Turkish Mythology and Its Symbolic Interpretations in Contemporary Turkish Painting

Yazarlar:

Tuğrul Alpaslan Damgacı

Yayıncı:

Gaziantep University

Ana Başlıklar:

Güzel Sanatlar | Resim

Dergi:

IDEART Uluslararası Tasarım ve Sanat Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.95-110

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351425

pISSN:

2980-2342

Turkish Mythology

Wolf Figure

Iconography

Epic

Painting ArtTürk Mitolojisi

Kurt Figürü

İkonografi

Destan

Resim Sanatı

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Tuğrul Alpaslan Damgacı

Yayıncı: Gaziantep University

Ana Başlıklar: Güzel Sanatlar | Resim

Dergi: IDEART Uluslararası Tasarım ve Sanat Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.95-110

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001351425

pISSN: 2980-2342

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Tuğrul Alpaslan Damgacı

Yayıncı:

Gaziantep University

Ana Başlıklar:

Güzel Sanatlar | Resim

Dergi:

IDEART Uluslararası Tasarım ve Sanat Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.95-110

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351425

pISSN:

2980-2342