Women as the Object and the Subject of Art in the 2nd Constitutional Period

Women theme is one of the basic subjects of painting art since the early ages. In Turkish painting, women are used as a frequent theme, first in the miniatures and then in the oil paintings in the later periods. The first artist to use a woman as the figure in Turkish painting is Osman Hamdi Bey in the 19th century. One of the most significant effects of the political changes of the 20th century on the societal structure is the participation and the visibility of women in the public sphere. The new social position acquired by women becomes one of themes of the novels and the paintings of the period. Women are now visualised at the recreational spots, coast or various entertainment venues. These paintings become some kind of a vision of modernisation, as women appear to be the symbol of modernity. Women receiving art education in the ‘？nas Sanayi Nefise Mektebi’ would struggle as women artists, while they tried to exist in the society as individuals. Especially on the account of the significant names of the women’s movement, such as Mihri Mu？？fik and Mu？fide Kadri, they advanced from being an object to the status of the subject performing the action. In spite of this fact, the limitations in women’s opportunities to express themselves and the forms of their representation bear the traces of the social, economic and societal differences between men and women. At this study questions the place of women in Turkish Art, while examining the representation of women in the paintings and how female identity is speculated in the society, through the works of the 2nd Constitutional Period artists