Süleyman Seyyid

He was born into a noble Anatolian family. His grandfather was a well-known master craftsman who specialized in mother-of-pearl inlays. After completing his primary education, he attended the Turkish Military Academy.[1] His sketches and watercolors attracted the attention of Giovanni Schranz (1794-1882), a Maltese painter who was visiting Istanbul.[2] At Schranz's urging, Seyyid decided to pursue art as a career.

In 1862, he went to study in Paris at a special school that had been established for Turkish students, then entered the workshop of Alexandre Cabanel.[2] After that, he studied in Italy for a year and returned home in 1870, where he became a teacher at the Academy. The following year, Şeker Ahmet Paşa also returned from Paris and joined the Academy as its other art teacher. Growing disagreements between the two led to Seyyid's resignation in 1880.[1]

He taught at the Kuleli Military High School for four years, then transferred to the Military Medical School, where he remained until 1910,[2] eventually rising to the rank of Colonel (Miralay).[1] During that time, he organized exhibitions intended to familiarize the Ottoman public with Western styles of painting. He also wrote essays on art and worked as a translator for several newspapers. An intensely spiritual man, he apparently gave away most of his works.[2]

• Su resimleri: Süleyman Seyyid'den günümüze Türk resminde suluboya (Watercolor pictures of Turkey) exhibition catalog, Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık, 2001 ISBN 975-08-0344-2

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• Biographical notes and criticism by Taha Toros @ Antikalar.