CITY OF ISTANBUL FROM THE BRUSH OF THE FAUSTO ZONARO

Abstract

“God and man, nature and art have created the most charming view human eye can see together, in that city.” This
compliment stated by Alphonse De La Martine tells us about the unique city. Hagia Sophia, Süleymaniye, The
Leander’s Tower and the Fortresses quietly narrate the legends and histories of the three big empires.
Beginning from the end of the 18th century, İstanbul, which had been the lust of various foreign painters and travelers
for about two centuries, has been the leitmotiv in the paintings and memoirs of the artists. İstanbul has been an evercharming city not only with its historical riches, but also with its nature, light and the life style that pulls one into its
magic and moulds him/her.
Fausto Zonaro, who had come to İstanbul during Sultan Abdulhamid II period when he was 28 years old, has devoted
his paintings to İstanbul with a great enthusiasm and passion from the moment he first saw the city on.
Scenes from İstanbul, portraits of ladies and gentlemen of İstanbul, historical events and episodes from the daily life
that appear in the paintings he had colored with this fervor have a documental value today. With such a perspective,
Fausto Zonaro, who is one of the painters depicting İstanbul in the pages of history, giving a color and breath to it,
documenting it, thus ensuring the remembrance of its unique beauty, is the main theme of our research.