“The Concept of Classic” in the Quest for National Identity in Art: André Lhote, Nurullah Berk, Jalil Ziapour

After World War I, with the taboo-breaking impact of the Futurists, Cubists, and Expressionists, there was some uncertainty in the art world. Some Parisian artists in particular were looking for a regulative path and saw the works of the time in turmoil. In this sense, the Cubist artists of the “Call to Order” movement wanted to base Cubism on classical French painting, and their works were sometimes referred to as “French Cubism” This understanding of painting also shaped the perspectives of the artists who came to Paris from different parts of the world. Painter and art educator André Lhote, one of the movement’s founders and advocates, believed that the visual values created by a painter’s geographic location and cultural background could be effective as a classical understanding. With this understanding, he has trained hundreds of international students in his studio. Jalil Ziapour is from Iran, and numerous Turkish students, including Nurullah Berk, have visited his studio from Turkey and influenced their country’s art history upon their return. Among their fellow Turkish students, Nurullah Berk and Iranian artist Jalil Ziapour focused more on writing to promote modern art and cubism, also their role in art education was the reason why they were compared in this study. In addition, they tried to create a local understanding of painting and achieve an East-West synthesis by turning to the visual elements of their countries. This article uses examples to examine how André Lhote’s thoughts and what he defines as classical are perceived by Jalil Ziapour and Nurullah Berk and how they are reflected in their ideas and art.