CROSSING THE CULTURAL BRIDGE: TURQUERIE
2 years ago, I visited to Pera Museum as part of the Biennial of Istanbul. Although I viewed the exhibit of “Intersecting Worlds: Ambassadors and Painters”, I thought that all they are orientalist works. I heard the concept of “orientalism” frequently, it meant negative glance and in my opinion the relationship between East and West can be represented from this negative Orientalism perspective. If any Western painter depicted East, it was able to be depicted from his fictional world. And then, I crossed the concept of “Turquerie”. After I learned this concept, I visited Pera Museum again and I viewed all works with a different glance. This concept shows me that the relationship between East and West cannot be explained with the concept of “Orientalism” only; “Turquerie” and “Orientalism” are not same, there is a process for these terms and every period of this process should be handled seperately. In this work, the relationship between East and West will be investigated as part of “Turquerie”.
The religion of Islam had an expansionist policy all along. After Prophet Mohammed’s death, Islamic leaders conquered lots of cities. Umayyads entered to Spain from Straits of Gibraltar and constituted Andalusia state. After years, there was a nation steped on Europe: Turks. After Turks accepted the religion of Islam, they struggled to spread it. They founded a state in Byzantium border in early 14. century: Ottoman Empire. Byzantium collapsed due to the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. Mehmed the second and posteriors deflected their eyes into Europe. In that times, Western societies sensed Turks as a threat. This circumstance is comprehensible because Turks moved on Europe. On the other hand, this circumstance means an encounter for two different cultures. Westerns encountered Turks in military area firtsly and were affected from Janissaries. For instance, rich people in Europe wore Janissary attire in their wedding ceremonies. Composers used the forms of Ottoman’s Military Band in their works. All of them are indicators that there was an interaction in cultural area.
After Treaty of Passarowitz was signed, Ottoman Empire sent Yirmisekiz Mehmet Çelebi as a permanent ambassador to Europe. Beginning from 18. century, embassy had a huge important for both Europe and Ottoman and relations between them became different. In the 18. century, Turks no longer was not an image of fear; they represented desire. The glance of European to Turks were associated with phantasy. That can be accepted as the beginning of Turkish fashion: Turquerie. It is possible to see the trails of this interaction and phantasy. In the exhibit of Intersecting Worlds focuses on ambassadors which are transported culture. To illustrate, we see Portrait of Charles Gravier Count of Vergennesand French Ambassador in Turkish Attire. There is a hookah on his hand and on the other one there is prayer-beads; a turban on his head, and a dagger on his waist. He is depicted like an Eastern person literally. In addition, when we look at his wife’s portrait, it is possible to see tha same details. In 18. century, women in France had to wear uncomfortable corsets, but in this portrait Countess of Vergennes was depicted in comfortable Turkish attire. The prayer-beads and the attire’s details represent the Turkish fashion. On the other hand, in 1727 Kozbekci Mustafa Aga was painted like a Western ruler in Sweden. In contrast, Yusuf Agah Efendi, the permanent ambassador in England, was depicted as an Eastern type in front of a Western background. It shows us that styles of portraits are related to ambassadors’ missions.
It cannot be ignored that, Turquerie is not in appearance only, it is possible to see that another different areas such as music and architecture. To illustrate, a mosque was built by Nicolas de Pigage in Schwetzingen Palace in Germany in 1774. “There was a Turkish garden at this area and the mosque is attached with the garden, it wasn’t used as a prayer room for Muslims. Although it is a harmony of Christian and Muslim architectures, Eastern impressions are dominant.”[1]This mosque shows that Westerns affected from Eastern architecture. On the other hand, Handel composed an opera including the war between Bajezet and Tamerlane in 1719. Stories of Turks were interesting for Western people at that time. For example, the death of Prince Mustafa was worked in operas much. Consequently, 18. century which I mentioned in the context of Turquerie has a “dynamic and multi-actor phenomenon”[2]
When we look at the 19. century, it can be say that the balance of power between Europe and Ottoman changed. Ottoman empire was at the back of Europe. West was superior on the areas of either economical or cultural. Turquerie was attached to Orientalism at that point. “Byron first used the Word of Orientalism in 1812 to mean the knowledge and study of the Orient. An Orientalist, on the other hand, had been defined as an expert in Oriental languages, history and philosophy from the 1720s”[3]and then, the concept of orientalism changed. “The word Orientalism almost somersaulted in meaning. Having conveyed a positive resonance in terms of sympathetic studies and depictions of the East, it acquired strongly negative implications. In the new meaning, representations became misrepresentations, and admirations became denigration for very specific ends, principally the extension of Western power.”[4]It cannot be ignored that Orientalism in the 19. century aimed to rationalize the power of the West on the East.
All above the mentioned points into consideration, in modern times the concept of Orientalism refers to negativity. However, there is a dynamic and multi-actor phenamenon behind this concept. We can see that in cultural area best. The exhibit of Intersecting Worlds: Ambassadors and Painters in Pera Museum represents Turquerie, the dynamic and multi-actor phanomenon literally. Yet, Turquerie disappeared in the concept of Orientalism in the 19. century. Orientalism became a tool to rationalize the domination of the West on East. In general, all we consider the consequence and ignore the process, but these portrait say us that cultural relations should be handled completely.
[1]https://perspektif.eu/2014/01/01/schwetzingende-bir-cami/
[2]Dr. Gizem Tongo and Irvin Cemil Schick, Turquerie, Pera Museum Blog.
[3]John M. MacKenzie, “The Orientalism Debate”, Inspired by the East, the British Museum, p.16.
[4]MacKenzie, 24.
