Paper-marbling artist (Born
9 February 1920 Istanbul – Death 12 September 1990 Istanbul). His father is
Saim Efendi who was the imam of Abdülbâki Efendi and Aziz Mahmud Hüdâyî Mosques
which are in the same district. Upon completing his primary education he
started to work in his father’s herbal shop in Üsküdar bazaar. In 1938 his
mother’s uncle the Calligrapher Necmettin Okyay enrolled him to State Fine Arts
Academy’s Turkish Ornament Arts Department. He learnt here from Necmettin Okyay
and other teachers in a short period old style cover and paper-marbling. Due to
various reasons he left school for some time and returned to his father’s
profession, herbalist's trade. And he continued this profession until the end of
his life.
Düzgünman, who produced
beautiful examples of classical cover called “şemse” during his study years in
the academy, had to leave it after a while since it was demanded by very few.
He has been busy with paper-marbling until his death especially after 1957.
Although he was open to
innovation in various fields, in paper-marbling he remained strictly loyal to
classical understanding. His teacher Necmettin Okyay said that he surpassed him
in paper-marbling. Düzgünman added the daisy flower to other flower figures in
paper-marbling produced by his teacher. Besides he edited some of his flower
shapes. During his paper-marbling career which started in 1940 and lasted for
fifty years until his death, he contributed to the introduction and spread of
this art with his works and students. He opened various exhibitions and
participated to others starting from 1967.
Mustafa Düzgünman was also
interested in Sufism apart from paper-marbling. He benefited in this field from
prominent masters such as Hafız Eşref Ede, Hafız Muhittin Tanık who was also
known as “Mızıkalı” since he was educated in Muzıka-I Hümâyun, TâcettinYalım
and Hüsnü Sarıer.
Düzgünman, who was also
known as a good performer due to his recital of internal adhan (T.N. Islamic
call to prayer) in Aziz Mahmud Hüdâyî Mosque for long years on Fridays and of
chants between tarawih prayers, owns about twenty chants he composed in
different maqams and lyrics of some of these also belong to him.
These chants which prove
his composition skills and which are important in terms of religious music
repertoire of recent years were transcribed to notes by his close friend Neyzen
Niyazi Sayın. Besides he made it possible that some religious songs he learnt
in earlier times were recorded by singing them to recording devices.
Düzgünman, who was the
tomb keeper of Aziz Mahmud Hüdâyî Lodge between 1953 and 79, wrote poems in
ballad style in colloquial language. Among these is Ebruname the most
famous which consists of twenty strophes and which explains the history,
characteristics and essence of paper-marbling.
Düzgünman has a collection
of rosaries, calligraphic boards, and his own paper-marbling, book covers in
form of şemse, boxes and frames. Some of around thousand calligraphy samples
recorded to emission glass via an old style accordion camera by him were
published in works titled Kalem Güzeli (Ankara, 1981) and İslam
Mirasında Hat Sanatı ( Istanbul, 1993 ). Originals of these photography
glasses are later donated to Türkpetrol Foundation by him.
