Mehmet Güleryüz, 1938-2024

Studying at the Department of Painting at Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts as a student of Neşet Günal and Cemal Tollu, Mehmet Güleryüz graduated at the top of his class in 1966 with his first figurative painting “The Greengrocer,” which has a distinctive style. Known for his socio-critical paintings, he is interested in the love of family, relationships between men and women, nature, living beings and all the moments that affect current situations. His figures are in motion even when they are standing still. He believes that the easiest way to discover human beings is to explore the extreme poles of the human condition.
“Notorious,” from 1990, portray a struggle in the very heart of nature, against a force that is bigger than them. While it is ambiguous what the figure is doing and where, the tension created by the artist’s use of thick and layered paint can be traced on the painting’s surface.