Mehmet Güleryüz, 1938

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. 

Güleryüz began his series “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” in a studio he rented in Galatasaray while a student. Taking its title from the 1944 play of the same name by Bertolt Brecht, it manifests Güleryüz’s interest in theater. In early works such as this painting, the drawing spreads across the painting’s surface, and the figure’s outlines are indistinct.