Türk Mitolojisinin Görsel Sanatlarımızdaki Yeri Nerede?

Nowadays when we talk with artists about mythology they immediately think of Greek methodology personalities such as Poseidon, Hera, Zeus and etc. Nowadays when we talk with Turkish young generation we notice that they haven’t even heard the names of Ulgenbay, Ayisit, Kubay and etc. And if they have heard the names of Asena and Otugen, they again don’t have enough knowledge about them. But when we turn to Greek mythology, we notice that they have read something about them or they have seen them as plastic arts. They are not unfamiliar for our youth at all. In fact what is the reason for ignorance of Turk mythology among Turks? Why are we so unfamiliar with our own mythology but we deem western myths as our works? This has various reasons: Turks attempts toward modernization and love of western culture among Turks. The Turk’s culture vanish towards a love for Western culture and history. And the most important reason is the Islam conservative view point towards plastic arts, leading to a lack of proper status for the Turk mythology among plastic arts. Therefore, we only can know the Mythological characters through written texts that don’t address people’s eyes. As a result, in contrast to Greek and Rome’s mythology which can live in sculptures and pictures, they lose their importance and longevity. The best way to revitalize mythological characters is to put them in shapes which address the eyes. If myths just transfer from mouth to mouth they might be forgotten after a while and the mythological character’s names will be forgotten too. But if they appear as a sculpture, fresco or painting, with the pleasure that they will give to the eyes, they will never be forgotten.