Turkish artist and illustrator, Murat Palta, has designed a series of Ottoman motifs for this graduation thesis that blend contemporary Western cinema with traditional Ottoman motifs in the miniature art style. Before we go any further, allow us to shed some light on the Ottoman motif – this is not a reference to the common footstool – the Ottoman Empire was one of the longest lasting empires in history. Often called the Turkish Empire, during the 16th and 17th centuries the Ottoman empire was under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent and called one of the most powerful state in the world – a multinational, multilingual empire that contained 32 provinces (at the beginning of the 17th century).
So…thanks to Wikipedia, you now know what the Ottoman Empire is…let’s get back to the artwork, shall we? The art commonly seen in textiles from this era feature detailed patterns, motifs and colourful scenes that have been referenced in Palta’s work. Palta chose to depict classic movie scenes in Ottoman motif style (see how this has all come full circle?) and we absolutely love the final products. The whimsical two-dimensional aesthetics, intense use of patterning and clever integration of Turkish architecture and transportation made us say “WHOA”.
