Hikmet Barutcugil is a Turkish master craftsman and pioneer of the ancient art of ebru or Turkish paper marbling. When he became interested in ebru in the 1970s, there were no remaining practitioners, so he taught himself through books and extensive trial and error. He developed his own style called "Barut Ebru" and has worked to revive and spread the tradition globally through teaching and exhibitions. Barutcugil established the Ebristan museum in Istanbul to preserve ebru's heritage and pass the art onto new generations. He continues innovating ebru and ensuring its longevity.

1. 094 a Pearl of Luxury
MASTERPIECE
HE IS AN ARTIST WITH A PURPOSE … DETERMINED TO REVIVE
TRADITIONS, ESTABLISH LONG-LOST ROOTS AND PASS ON HIS
KNOWLEDGE TO THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS, TURKISH MASTER
CRAFTSMAN AND EBRU ARTIST HIKMET BARUTCUGIL HAS MADE
AN INDELIBLE MARK IN THE WORLD OF DECORATIVE ARTS.
Anasuya Kesavan
mYsterious
thev
art of
ebru

2. 096 a Pearl of Luxury
MASTERPIECE
01 his piece is entitled “if you dig
a pit for someone else, you will fall
into it yourself” (an Iranian proverb)
2008, Technique: Print of Canvas.
02 Saeedi’s “Student Omreh”,
a poster that portrays his use of
calligraphy. Technique: Offset Print,
2006.
03 “Three Iranian Look” (A Painting
Exhibition by Three Iranian Women
Artists) Technique: Silk Screen,
2004.
Finding ebru, immersing in its colors and printing a
permanent spot in this national heritage of Turkey
is a journey that pioneering artist Hikmet Barutcugil
stumbled upon 37-years ago, and is continuing to
undertake to this day.
The mysterious art of ebru or making ‘Turkish
Paper’ began several centuries ago in Asia Minor
and was popularized by book binders in Europe in
the 17th century. During the Selçuk and Ottoman
periods, these decorative papers, gained status
as backgrounds for official and state documents
as marbled paper was considered safe as any
attempt to change the writing would spoil the
design in the background.
This also gave rise to the tradition of secrecy
as certain designs and color formulas were known
only to certain masters. Ebru continued to become
popular in the East as marbled paper was used
widely as a base, border or ruler in the decoration
of calligraphy.
However, when young Barutcugil poured
through books of calligraphy and became curious
about this ancient art form in the Süleymaniye
Manuscript Library in Istanbul, in 1973, there were
no practitioners or teachers in the country who
could guide him. This gap fuelled a burning desire to
reinstate the national art to its former days of glory.
Today, this one-man journey has literally turned
a page in the practice and interest taken by artists
towards marbling across the world.
Guided by books and mastered after
innumerable trials and errors, Barutcugil chalked
out his own path and developed his personal
style of marbling that has come to be known as
Barut Ebru. Trained in calligraphy, textile design
and abstract art his art departs from traditional
methods to incorporate forms, patterns and
shades in his monotype.
Constantly endeavouring to innovate and
improve, his experiments have included dabbling
with different paints and materials and working on
larger sizes. Barutcugil has at the same time made
marbling relevant to common man by successfully
introducing Ebru to other disciplines, from
architecture to popular crafts, gadgets and clothes.
Unlike the forefathers of marbling, Barutcugil
is highly committed to spread his learning and this
desire has led him to contribute to hundreds of
events and exhibitions on traditional arts, giving
short term courses and seminars in many countries
across the world.
His works can be seen in many museums,
including a permanent dislay at the British Museum
in London. Barutcugil has published twelve
books - Infinity of Colours, Colours Dancing on
Water, The Living Tradition, The Dream of Water:
Ebru, Black and White Ebru, Symmetry, Efsun
Flowers, Ebristanbul, Ebristan’dan Yeserenler,
His Compassion, Battal’dan Baruta Ebruvan, and
EbrulîMardin.
Barutcugil’s greatest contribution is Ebristan,
the home of Ebru in Istanbul. Referred to as the
Marbling Museum, the restored house originally
belonged to Izzettin Pasha and was originally built by
Sultan Mahmud II in 1830.
In 1997, the Fourth International Marblers
Conference entitled ‘Beyond the Surface’ was held
at the museum and brought together practitioners
from all over the world.
In this fitting location, the artist, fondly referred
to as hezarfen meaning ‘expert in 1000 sciences’ in
Turkish, continues to pursue his passion, innovate
and disseminate his learning to young artists of all
ages and nationalities.
Barutcugil chalked out his own path and developed his personal
style of marbling that has come to be known as Barut Ebru.
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3. 098 a Pearl of Luxury
MASTERPIECE
04 “And God Created Man Free”.
Technique: Mixed Media, 2010.
05 “Ladies and Gentlemen I
Present The New Symbol Of Peace”
Calligraphy used to create an
icon of a bird representing Peace.
Technique: Silk Screen, 2006.
06 Black, Red and White, Mehdi
Saeedi’s exhibition of calligraphic
paintings in Xerexes Fine Art
Gallery, London. Technique: Digital
Print of Canvas, 2009.
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04
ABOUT THE ART OF EBRU
Ebru is a Turkish word (meaning cloud
or cloudy) for paper marbling, which is
a method of creating surface design or
patterns that look like swirls of color, similar
to a smooth marble stone. Part of its appeal
is that each print is a unique monotype.
It is derived from the word ebre from
one of the older Central Asian languages and
it means the ‘moiré, veined fabric or paper’
used for covering manuscripts and other
holy books.
Origins of this ancient art date back to
China, where a document from the T’ang
dynasty (618-907) mentions a process of
coloring paper on water with five hues. It
travelled to Iran through the Silk Route and
picked up the name ebru. Subsequently this
art moved towards Anatolia.
Specimens of marbled paper in the
Turkish museum and private collections date
back as far as the 15th century. Around the
end of 16th century this art reached Europe
and after the 1550s, booklovers in Europe
prized Ebru which came to be known as
‘Turkish Paper’. In the early examples from
the 16th century in the Ottoman-Turkish
era, ebru appears in the battal (large) form,
namely without any manipulation.
The ebru technique consists of creating
designs as a result of color floated on either
plain water or a viscous solution known
as size, and then carefully transferred to
an absorbent surface, such as paper or
fabric. The water that ebru is applied on is
thickened using natural materials that have
adhesives that help affix paint on the paper.
Commonly used thickeners are kitre, which
is the dried sap of a plant called geven
from the Astragalus family and Irish Moss,
otherwise known as red seaweed. Ox gall
is probably the most important material
of paper marbling art that helps the paints
spread on the surface without sinking to the
bottom.
Pure pigment paints that do not dissolve
in water are used in ebru and traditional
rustic brushes made of horse-tail hair, rose
wood and fishing line are preferred. Acid
free papers with absorption capacity are
generally used.
The art of Ebru shows us the divine beauty of an
image’s background … images that we cannot see
with our naked eye. - Hikmet Barutcugil

4. 100 a Pearl of Luxury
MASTERPIECE
07 “Scratch”, Calligraphy at work
using the Reed Pen from the 9th
Graphic Designers. Technique:
Digital Print, 2007.
08 Another of Mehdi’s icons from
“The 21st Fajr International Music
Festival” , Technique: Digital print,
2006.
08 Another of Mehdi’s icons from
“The 21st Fajr International Music
Festival” , Technique: Digital print.
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What motivates your creations?
Nature has always been my source of
inspiration. The art of Ebru shows us the divine
beauty of an image’s background … images that
we cannot see with our naked eye. I like to believe
that God is revealing some secrets about his
creations, as I’m sure that the patterns that form
on the surface of water are not about decoration
or art alone.
What differentiates the traditional art
of ebru and Barut Ebru?
Both marbling types are created by floating
exactly the same number of colors on the surface
of water. While the numbers of colors are evident
in traditional Ebru, these are mixed randomly to
form different spontaneous patterns and shades in
Barut Ebru.
What has been the influence of ebru on
other creative fields such as textile
designing, architecture and ceramics?
Every work of Ebru is distinctive. Just like
fingerprints, it is not possible to create the same
design again. Because of this feature, every piece
of textile, ceramic and architecture influenced by
Ebru is unique.
Also, the richness of patterns challenges our
imagination and opens new doors. It pushes an
artist to apply patterns to new forms and surfaces.
Ebru transports its infinite and unique distinction to
new fields of application.
in an interview with Hikmet Barutcugil, Durrah
discovers the passion and determination
behind the artist.
Your efforts have seen a major revival
in the knowledge and practice of Ebru
in many parts of the world today. How
do you perceive its development in the
coming years?
Twenty or thirty years ago, I could not have
even imagined a future for this art form. Today,
it is very pleasing and satisfying to consider its
development and I’m sure that its future will be
much better.
I do also hope that more and more young
people will take serious interest in this art and make
innovations. They need to keep it alive because
nations are known by its traditional arts and culture.
Is there a connection between Ebru and
spirituality?
There is a connection. It has been practiced from
the time of the Ottoman Sultans, as people who
engaged with art would learn science and lore and
they would become gentler.
In present times, modern man is no longer very
patient, he wants to get quick results. In the art of
ebru, a jar of paint becomes an artwork in a few
minutes and it is very attractive to modern man as
he starts to dream about other works quickly.
This chain of thinking provides a spiritual
purification which modern psychology explains as
catharsis. Even the smell of the ox gall which is used
in paint has a calming effect. If an ebru artist could
reflect on the harmony of colors to his own life, I
believe it will have a great relaxing effect on him.
How do you see this art form becoming
an integral part of common man’s
modern day life?
Historically, ebru has been an art of paper
decoration. It has now been applied to different
surfaces by artistic innovation and has become a
part of our daily lives.
Could you tell us something on
Ebristan and its contributions to
modern day art?
Ebristan is an institution which is dedicated to
teaching and developing Ebru. It’s also a permanent
venue for Ebru in Turkey where hearts which have
a deep commitment for this art can work on new
methods and innovations to develop it further.
What advice do you have for upcoming
artists’ who want to specialize in Ebru?
There is a marvellous Turkish saying, “Ask
olmadan Mesk olmaz” meaning if you want to
produce something you need fall in love with it. In
other words, you need to feel it in your heart and
soul. Artists need deep commitment and sacrifice
because this journey can be really tough.
They also say “Sanata küllünü vermezsen cüzini
alamazsın” meaning, if you don’t give all of your
belongings to art you cannot even take a dollop.
It has two different explanations, firstly, art is
ungrateful so it takes everything you have and gives
you a little bit of its light. But the little drop is very
big and satisfying and so this precious little drop is
worth giving up your whole life for.
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