The%20Legacy%20of%20Pietro%20Canonica%20s%20Art%20and%20His%20Travels%20in%20Turkey

Abstract

Specialized in monumental and commemorative works in bronze and marble, Italian sculptor, professor, and Senator Pietro Canonica's (1869-1959) contributions to the history of sculpting were numerous. Although his works range from Italy to Russia, he has a prominent place in the new established Republic of Turkey. Due to the fact that the representation of the human form had been forbidden during the Ottoman Period, there was no Turkish sculptors trained to produce the figurative Atatürk sculptures and thus the government turned to European artists. In this respect, Canonica's fame was going to bring him to Turkey in 1926 by the newly-established government's call for competition with the intention of creating and erecting Mustafa Kemal's monuments in prominent cities of the country. In this study, his works in Turkey, along with his travel account will be explored through both textual and historical analysis.