Şeker Ahmed Pasha

In this Ottoman Turkish style name, the given name is Ahmed Ali, the title is Pasha, and there is no family name.

"Şeker" Ahmed Pasha
Self-portrait
Born	Ahmed Ali Pasha 1841 (1841) Istanbul, Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey)
Died	1907 (1908) (aged 66) Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, (modern Turkey)
Nationality	Ottoman
Known for	Painter

Ahmed Ali Pasha (1841 – 5 May 1907), better known as "Şeker" Ahmed Pasha, was an Ottoman painter, soldier and government official. His nickname "Şeker" meant "sugar" in Turkish, which he earned due to his very easy-going nature.

Biography

Born in Üsküdar, Istanbul he entered medical school in 1855, then transferred to the military academy. Here, he showed an interest in painting, his medical and military experience having aroused an interest in anatomy and perspective. Sultan Abdülaziz liked his work and sent him to Paris immediately after Süleyman Seyyid, to study under Gustave Boulanger and Jean-Léon Gérôme.^[1] He spent seven years of study in France, and had an exhibition of his oil paintings in Paris in 1869. He returned to Istanbul in 1871, with a military rank of captain.

In 1873, with the assistance of the French painter, Pierre-Désiré Guillemet, he organized and presented one of the first art exhibits in Istanbul. "Şeker" Ahmed Pasha advanced rapidly in military rank. In 1876, he was promoted to major, in 1877 lieutenant colonel, in 1880 colonel, in 1885 brigadier general, and, finally, in 1890 to lieutenant general. In 1896 he was placed in charge of official military protocol.

"Şeker" Ahmed Pasha is one of the most important examples of the Ottoman military painters. He painted nature-related subjects such as forests, fruits, flowers, and animals with great skill. His life and art reflects the experience of Ottoman elites in the aftermath of the Tanzimat reform movement, which sought to learn more of Western culture, with the intent of either emulating it or blending it with traditional Ottoman patterns. Pasha was an example of such emulation and blending in the field of painting.

He died on May 5, 1907, of a heart attack, and is buried in Eyüp Cemetery in Istanbul.

Selected paintings

• 
  Landscape with Sheep
• 
  Still-life with Quinces
• 
  Roe in the Forest
• 
  Still-life with Persimmons and Grapes

References

1. Çalişir, Deniz; Semra Ögel (December 2005). "Osmanlı resminde mimesis: Şeker Ahmed Paşa'nın resimleri bağlamında bir değerlendirme (Mimesis in Ottoman paintings: An evaluation in regards the paintings of Şeker Ahmed Paşa)" (PDF). İTÜ Dergisi: Sosyal Bilimler (in Turkish). 2 (1). Istanbul: 69–79. Retrieved 2009-06-20.

External links

Media related to Şeker Ahmed Pasha at Wikimedia Commons