The Artist’s Journal: Istanbul

May 27 – June 13
3 studio credits
Course number IPD-3823-A

FACULTY: PETER HRISTOFF

A journal is an act of faith, a commitment to record thoughts and observations. To travel is to embark on an adventure. This course will combine the two and encourage the artist to understand the importance and, paradoxically, the liberating joy of working in a disciplined, diarist-manner. Daily practice in keeping a (visual) journal/sketchbook/diary by drawing on location is required, as well as a finished series of mixed-media “journal works.” The observational drawings, sketches, photographs and ephemera collected—stamps, stickers, ticket stubs, menus, napkins, magazine and newspaper clippings—will be the reference and material for a suite of finished works on paper.

Istanbul is undergoing a renaissance that makes it a “must-see” destination for travelers, and a hub of international politics, business and culture, with these elements merging to create a new kind of 21st-century megalopolis. The class will examine the history of what was once the world’s largest and richest city, the “New” Rome: Constantinople.

We will begin by understanding the connection between the fall of Byzantium and the expulsion of its scholars, and the ways in which their books and knowledge helped fuel the Western Renaissance. Byzantine monuments and artifacts throughout Istanbul will be examined, with special emphasis on the spectacular museum of Hagia Sophia. The Ottoman legacy will be investigated through trips to the Imperial mosques and palaces, as well as by studying the masterpieces of traditional Turkish crafts. Class visits to contemporary art museums, galleries and alternative spaces exhibiting cutting-edge works by Turkish artists will introduce participants to dynamic art scene of the city. Daily drawing from observation will be combined with an investigation of all that Istanbul offers, from the Spice Market to the Covered Bazaar, from the rooftop lounges to the waterside café of the Istanbul Modern on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait.

This course is open to highly motivated individuals of all levels who are interested in working from observation and journal keeping.

Note: A portfolio of 12 images (jpeg or online portfolio) of recent work must be submitted, along with a completed application form.

For further information contact Carolyn Hinkson-Jenkins, program coordinator, via e-mail: chinksonjenkins@sva.edu; phone: 212.592.2161; fax: 212.592.2014.