Nazlı Ecevit

Fatma Nazlı was born in Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman Empire, on 4 January 1900.[1] Her father was Emin Sargut, a Colonel, her paternal grandfather Salih Pasha, a Major General (Ottoman Turkish: Ferik‎) and her maternal grandfather Kirat Pasha, an aide to the Ottoman Sultan[2]

After graduating from the Çapa Teacher's School for Girls (Ottoman Turkish: Çapa İnas Dar-ül muallimat‎) in 1915, Mihri Müşfik, one of the first Turkish women painters, encouraged her to continue her study of painting. She went on to study at Fine Arts School for Girls (Ottoman Turkish: İnas Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi‎)[3] between 1915 and 1922, where she was taught by Ömer Adil, and joined the workshop of Feyhaman Duran.[2] As the graduating examinations for the Fine Arts School for Girls were cancelled due to the Turkish War of Independence, she obtained a teaching certificate.[4]

Nazlı was employed as painting teacher at Beşiktaş Junior High School for Girls.[2] She then followed her father to Kastamonu in Anatolia, and suspended her painting career for 25 years.[4] She first taught at Kastamonu, and later taught at Bolu and İzmit.[2]

She married in 1924 and moved to Ankara.[2] The next year, she gave birth to a son, Bülent, who later became a political party leader and four times prime minister.[3] She worked as painting teacher at Ankara Teachers' School of Music,[2] forerunner of the Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory. Furthermore, she taught at Istanbul Master Junior High School. Her career as teacher lasted 19 years.[4]

Ecevit resumed painting in 1947.[4] She had showed her works at Galatasaray Expositions during her student years and resumed doing so at group exhibitions after 1947. She also held private exhibitions. During her student years, she painted portraits and nudes. Her works present a realist and impressionist style: she developed in the "Fine Arts Union", of which she was a member and for some time also its chairperson.[2][4] Her style resembles that of Turkish painters of the 1930s generation like İbrahim Çallı, Şeref Akdik, Ali Karsan and Adil Doğançay. Her sense of design was powerful. After 1947, she painted mostly landscapes and still lifes, combining the soft and colourful sensitivity of the impressionist style in landscape paintings compiled from Salacak, Bosporus in Istanbul and Bursa with an objective realist look in local atmosphere.[4]

Her impressionism is based on a tradition transmitted via military painters in Turkey. From 1948 to 1975, she displayed her works almost every year at the State Art and Sculpture Exhibition. Her works are in oils, watercolours, crayon and charcoal.[2]

By June 1985, Ecevit was hospitalized in Istanbul, where she lived, due to diabetes and urea problems.[5] Later, she was transferred to Ankara, where her son Bülent Ecevit resided. On 14 August 1985, she died at the age of 85 in the hospital of Hacettepe University, where she was being treated. She was interred at Cebeci Asri Cemetery following a funeral service held in Hacı Bayram Mosque.[5][6][7]

Her notable paintings include:[4]

• Keriman Hanım'ın Portresi (Portrait of Kerman Hanım), (1922) İstanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum
• Çiçekler (Flowers), İstanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum
• Çamlıcan'dan Görünüm (View from Çamlıca)
• Balkonlu Manzara (Landscape with Balcony)
• Bebek (Baby), (sold in April 2000 for approx. US$19,200)[8]
• Salacakta Kız Kulesi (Maiden's Tower at Salacak), (sold in June for approx. US$23,200)[9]
• Boğaziçi (Bosporus), (1954) (sold in June 2000 for approx. US$8,000)[9]

An oil painting with the subject of "Salacak" was hung in the office building of the prime minister in July 2003, ordered by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after he had taken office in March that year.[10]