93. Today in 1920s Turkey. Cartoonist Portraits and Profiles: Ramiz Bey
In the previous post I introduced a seven-part miniseries about the artists featured in a cartoon from the magazine Akbaba. Now we will be considering the first in the lineup of artists, which is Ramiz Bey, on the far right.
Ramiz was born in 1900 in Ottoman Istanbul. He drew his first cartoon around 1916 and in 1918 he landed his first publication in the magazine Şeytan (Devil). He started teaching art soon after that in 1919, at the tender age of 19. Throughout the 1920s he drew for some of Turkey’s most influential magazines including Diken, Aydede, Zümrüdüanka, Papağan, and of course Akbaba. He continued to publish cartoons, cartoon strips, and cartoon books well into the 1940s and enjoyed participating in seminars and conferences to discuss cartoons and the satirical arts. In accordance with the Surname Law or Soyadı Kanunu, Ramiz took the last name “Gökçe” in 1934. Ramiz Gökçe passed away in Istanbul on 5 January 1953.
Ramiz drew self-portraits and published them fairly regularly throughout the 1920s. Below are the three others that I know of. He depicted himself with a chin-wrap that extends around his head in the first three portraits (from 1923, 1924, and 1925) and which he apparently abandoned by 1926. He wears a fez in the first two portraits but for the 1925 portrait he renders himself wearing a boater hat. This new choice of headgear was in anticipation of the upcoming Hat Reform or Şapka Devrimi scheduled for November 1925.
Ramiz is one of the most prolific cartoonists of this era. His signature is easy to identify because of its ubiquity and regularity: it consisted of strong, confident vertical stroke topped with a semi-circular burst. Overall, it looks like the Latin letter “P” or “D”. You can view his signature in two of the examples included in this post.
Today in 1920s Turkey has covered many of Ramiz’s cartoons and illustrations. Below are the links to a few of his other works. Together, they afford a generous view of the artist’s rather versatile style and range:
188. What Would Adam and Eve Think? (11 February 1926)
154. From Collecting Tolls to Teaching Boxing (17 December 1927)
127. Stalker Surprise! (17 December 1923)
84. Conference of the Weapons (11 May 1925)
73. Divide and Conquer (29 March 1926)
68. Freedom of Speech for Mother-in-Laws (9 March 1925)
61. New “Film” Starring Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd (11 February 1926)
56. The Ugly Husband (4 February 1924)
41. Stratification and Oppression (15 December 1924)
Other sources consulted:
Memiş, Şefik and İbrahim Yarış. “Ramiz Gökçe.” In: İstanbul’un 100 Karikatüristi, 64–65. İstanbul: İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kültür A.Ş. Yayınları, 2010.
Çeviker, Turgut. “Ramiz Gökçe Üzerine.” In: Karikatür Üzerine Yazılar, 57–63. İstanbul: İris Yayıncılık, 1997.
Originally published at https://steemit.com on June 14, 2017.
