As part of the opening ceremony of the Turkish Culture Days in Turkmenistan, artist Hikmet Barutchugil, who arrived in Ashgabat, presented to the audience the national Turkish art of drawing - ebru.

Viewers were able to see a video presentation on this type of art. Hikmet Barutchugil spoke about the history of its appearance in Turkey and the features of the technology.

As the artist noted, no one can say for sure the date of appearance of this painting technique. The art of ebru - which means air clouds in Persian - came to Turkey from Iran. The technique consists of drawing with paints on the surface of water and then transferring the image onto paper or another solid base - wood, fabric, ceramics, leather. This technique is also called marbling.

Then Hikmet Barutchugil gave a master class on ebru.

This art also has its own genres, special styles and varieties. For example, this type of ebru called “khafif” was used to prevent forgery of documents. Traditional Ebru subjects include floral motifs, Arabic script, landscapes, as well as abstraction for decoration and design.

In modern times, drawings using the ebru technique are actively used in printing, designer textiles and other areas. There are artists who transfer drawings to gadgets - smartphones, tablets.

In 2014, Turkish Ebru art was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Hikmet Barutchugil began as a calligrapher, but then, having discovered ebru, he became so carried away that he became an active popularizer of this art, including outside Turkey. He has participated in hundreds of events and exhibitions, conducted short courses and workshops in various countries, contributing to the revival of ebru and increasing interest in this art.

Tomorrow, an exhibition of drawings by Turkish artists using the ebru technique will also be open, and Ashgabat residents and guests of the capital will be able to get acquainted with it.

Don’t forget to look at the program of Turkish Culture Days in Ashgabat. For example, tonight everyone will enjoy a joint concert of artists from Turkey and Turkmenistan.

Also see our photo report: Ebru art and artist Hirmet Barutçugil in Ashgabat.