He Said, "Peace At Home, Peace In The World."
This was the first time I displayed Atatürk's Eyes in public in England. Eyes No: 07 produced in 2022 was my last paint on canvas artwork.
Who Said, “Peace At Home, Peace In The World”?
He Said, “Peace At Home, Peace In The World.”
The Eyes At St. Mary’s
Sat 12 / Sun 13 October 2024 St. Mary’s church, Redgrave, hosted the unique experience of displaying, against the backdrop of its magnificent stained glass east window, the image of the Eyes by ‘İngiliz Ressam’, ‘English Artist’, Ned for the first time in the UK. This was Eyes No: 07, painted and time-lapse filmed in East Anglia for the 1923-2023 centenary commemorations of the founding of the Turkish Republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The event attracted visitors local, from London and Wales. Rita from Diss was probably the most senior visitor at the tender age of 97 while a 6 week baby from Redgrave was definitely the youngest. Gulay travelled from London, having collaborated with her late husband Christopher to install Ned’s 3.5m Atatürk Gülümsüyor (Atatürk Smiles) into the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICEC) in 2001. Ivan and Bernadette probably came furthest from Abergavenny, Wales. Entry was free while postcard images of the Eyes at St. Mary’s raised £107 for church funds.
Ned lived in Istanbul, has a 35 year relationship with Türkiye and exhibited Turkish themed artworks at St. Mary’s in 2008. Since then this image of the Eyes has been displayed by the Turks upon the steps of Anıtkabir, Ankara, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to mark 23rd April, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day and the 100th anniversary of ANZAC and Victory Day.
The Eyes travelled through Port Said, Jeddah, Aden, Mumbai, Colombo, Singapore, Saigon, Hong Kong, Fuzhou, Nagaski, Kushimoto and Tokyo on board the Turkish Navy vessel TCG Gediz on a voyage which remembered the 1890 loss of the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul as a solemn symbol of friendship between Türkiye and Japan. A Power Point presentation was prepared by St. Mary’s Trustee Chairman Bob Hayward telling the story of Ertuğrul which has resulted in an enduring friendship of now 134 years between Japan and Türkiye.
A peculiarity of this painting is that close up, it is composed of blobs of paint, but the further away the viewer goes, the clearer, sharper and more photogenic the image becomes. Ned refers to this technique as ‘blobism’. The viewing distance within the space of St. Mary’s church was perfect.
Redgrave St Mary’s church is owned by the Churches Conservation Trust and operated by Redgrave Church Heritage Trust. It is no longer used for regular worship, but remains consecrated and used for community activities.
Eyes No: 07 was completed by 01 January 2023, but a massive earthquake spanning Türkiye and Syria 06 February curtailed any commemorations or celebrations. Ned’s painting was wrapped and stored away until a chance meeting between Ned and St. Mary’s Trustees Julian van Beveren and Bob Hayward led to an invitation to unwrap and display the Eyes. The primary reason for doing so was, as Chairman Bob put it, ‘It simply looks beautiful’.
The overriding theme was, in the words of Atatürk:
“Yurtta barış, dünyada barış için çalışıyoruz.”
“We work for peace at home, peace in the world.”
Yurtta Barış, Dünyada Barış diyen kimdir?
https://www.avrupaajansi.com/dunya/yurtta-baris-dunyada-baris-diyen-kimdir-h24463.html
Ataturk Said, Peace At Home, Peace In The World
https://www.avrupatimes.com/world/ataturk-said-peace-at-home-peace-in-the-world-h12088.html
St. Mary’s Trustees released a statement:
The St. Mary's Redgrave church will be open for the weekend of Sat 12 / Sun 13 October 2024 for a unique experience. Against its magnificent stained glass east window backdrop you will see Atatürk’s Eyes. He founded the modern Turkish Republic in 1923 and became its first president.
In 1934 he gave women the right to vote and be elected.
He had many wise words which remain relevant today.
“If a society does not march towards its goal with all its women and men together, it is scientifically impossible for it to progress and to become civilized. It should be realized that everything we see on earth is the product of women.”
“Unless the life of the nation faces peril, war is a crime.”
In today’s world of conflict we recall that in 1931 Atatürk said:
“Yurtta baris, dünyada baris icin calisiyoruz.”
“We work for peace at home, peace in the world.”
English artist Ned has a 35 year relationship with Türkiye and exhibited Turkish themed artworks at St. Mary’s in 2008. Since then this English artist’s image of Atatürk’s Eyes has been displayed by the Turks upon the steps of Anitkabir, Ankara, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to mark 23rd April, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day and the 100th anniversary of ANZAC and Victory Day.
The Eyes travelled through Port Said, Jeddah, Aden, Mumbai, Colombo, Singapore, Saigon, Hong Kong, Fuzhou, Nagaski, Kushimoto and Tokyo exhibited on the Turkish Navy vessel TCG Gediz on a voyage which remembered the 1890 loss of the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul as a solemn symbol of friendship between Türkiye and Japan.
St. Mary’s Redgrave has a memorial side chapel to those who lost their lives during the two world wars.
Following the battles of 1914-1918, Atatürk said of the fallen during battle:
“You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are at peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”
Of the 7 original Eyes paintings, 5 are in private collections and the 6th resides in Istanbul. In the summer 2022, Ned painted the 7th Eyes in East Anglia, and had the painting process time-lapse filmed and released publicly on 1st January 2023 to mark the centenary year of the founding of The Republic of Türkiye in 1923.
The Turkish Chief of Staff sent a letter of appreciation on the 23rd January 2023. Days later, 06 February 2023, a devastating earthquake hit Syria and Türkiye. Centenary commemorations ceased overnight and the 7th Eyes wrapped and stored since then.
Redgrave St Mary’s church is owned by the Churches Conservation Trust and operated by Redgrave Church Heritage Trust. Although it is not used for regular worship, it remains consecrated, but can be used for community activities. A chance meeting led to an invitation to reveal again and display this singularly important historic painting within St. Mary’s church.
“I don’t know why art is necessary – only that it is.
All who in the 1940’s, braved bombs to see one painting in the National Gallery knew it too.”
An answer to Ned from Brian Sewell, Art Critic, Sunday 04 April 2010
www.turkiye1923-2023.com
St. Mary’s Church, Churchway, Redgrave, Diss, Suffolk IP22 1RJ
Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October 2024 10am – 4pm
Anitkabir, Ankara, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
23rd April 2015, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day and the 100th anniversary of ANZAC and Victory Day.
-o0o-
As a wag once said,
‘The artist must go very far, so that the ordinary man will go far enough. Arsenal!’
Yurtta Barış Dünyada Barış : Peace At Home, Peace İn The World… if only.
https://turkiye1923-2023.com/artwork/
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