Born in 1947 in Şebinkarahisar, Giresun, and working at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye between 1977 and 2003, the first work of the engraving artist Şükrü Ertürk was the composition of children offering flowers to Atatürk on the back of the 7th issue 10 Lira banknotes printed in 1979, the International Year of Children.
Later, he produced many landscapes and patterns such as the Mehmet Akif Ersoy portrait, the Mevlana Museum on the 7th issue 5,000 Lira banknotes, and the view of the ancient city of Ephesus using the intaglio (taille-douce) technique, which is directly hand-engraved on copper or steel plates.
Sukru Erturk, who was an observer in the production process of the plates of 100,000 Lira banknotes ordered abroad, produced a portrait of Ataturk on tracing paper in 17 days, when he returned to Ankara, he transferred the portrait onto a steel mold over a period of 4 months, working 4 to 5 hours a day.
The portrait was based on a photograph taken by Cemal Isiksel and a result of a through and detailed archive study. It was later used on banknotes of 100,000 to 20,000,000 Lira value of the 7th emission. He also engraved the portrait used on the 50 and 100 Lira banknotes of the 8th emission.
The engraver, who produced 15 separate Atatürk portraits for the Banknote Printing House, has his name engraved as Ş.ERTÜRK on some of the engravings used on the banknotes. (*42, p. 144 & 177).
Şükrü Ertürk, who studied at Sivas High School, continued his education at the Department of Art and Craft Teaching at the Gazi Education Institute in 1966. After working as an art teacher at the Diyarbakır Dicle Primary School between 1969 and 1971. He worked as an assistant at the Gazi Education Institute Art and Craft Department between 1974 and 1977.
Şükrü Ertürk, who met with executives of the Banknote Printing House who Gazi Education Institute in 1976, learned that the printing house needed an engraving artists. Later he passed the admission exams and started working as an engraving artist at the Banknote Printing House.
In 1986, he visited the workshop of Prof. Trento Cionini, who produced the portraits on Italian banknotes, with Mustafa Çakırcalı. Prof. Cionini was also an apprentice of Mario Baiardi. Sukru Erturk speaks of about Baiardi: “I never met him, but the engraving portraits he made became my second teacher.”
The artist also created the designs for many stamps.
- 1967 750th Anniversary of Şifahiye Madrasa in Sivas
- 1988 50th death anniversary of Atatürk,
- 1996 and 1998 definitive postage stamps with Atatürk portrait
- 1998 “Famous Turks Series”, portraits of İhap Hulusi Görey, Vasfi Rıza Zobu and Feza Gürsey *1.
Şükrü Ertürk tells about the first time a picture he drew was used on a stamp:
“I was in the senior year of Sivas High School in 1966. My art teacher Emrullah Bulurman came to me and tasked me to draw the Şifahiye Madrasah. I was so excited that I even forgot about the final exams in the first days of June. My drawing would be printed on a stamp, so I was overjoyed. I climbed atop the balcony of Çifte Minaret across from Şifahiye Madrasah and made a draft drawing. Then I made a clean copy, found my art teacher, and together we went to Sivas Governor Vefik Kitapçıgil. The governor offered us tea. I don’t remember what else he said. Then My teacher and I left the office.
…
Later when I was in the second year of Gazi Education Institute in 1967, I attended the meeting of the Ankara Sivas Association. I learned from the association president that they had printed a stamp for Şifahiye Madrasah. The next day, I went to the big post office in Ulus and inquired about the stamp. They forwarded it to the relevant unit. I bought 5 stamps. Finally I had one in my hand.
I learned about the First Day Cover and other detils during my duty at the Banknote Printing House when I was the representative in PTT’s stamp competitions. The stamp department manager Halil Say, whom I love very much, had these stamps made for me. I remember him with respect and gratitude.
I met Metin Bey, who worked in the film department at the Ajans Türk Printing House where the stamp was printed. When my drawing was reduced to the size of the stamp, many fine lines could not be printed. I had no knowledge of stamp printing when I made the drawing. Metin Bey retouched these lines. I wish him a healthy life if he is alive and mercy if he has passed away.”
Şükrü Ertürk defines banknotes as “functional printwork” and he has also been working on exlibris since 1997. He has produced bookplates for Prof. Hasip Pektaş, Müjde Ayan, Luc van den Briele, Benoit Junod and Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar. The most prominent element in his exlibris, which have similarities with banknote portraiture, is the portrait of the owner.
Click for the Bulgarian Exlibris competition website, where he won an award in 2014.
Click on the image below for the exlibris works in the Frederikshavn Art Museum inventory
* Click here for other artists whose patterns are included in the design of Turkish coins.
(We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the artist who contributed to this compilation with valuable details)
[1] The graphic design of the background compositions of the stamps in the series and also the portraits of Haldun Taner and Bedia Muvahhit are the work of Mustafa Çakırcalı (stamp images courtesy of Pulhane.com).
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- EkoTürk kanalına verdiği röportaj
- Şükrü Bey’in banknot tasarım ve üretim süreçlerini ayrıntılı olarak açıkladığı bir sunum
- Cihan Canbolat makalesi “Atatürk’ün Dudağına İsmini Yazan Sanatçı: Şükrü Ertürk”
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- Sezin Türk Kaya makalesi, “Şükrü Ertürk’ün Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar Ekslibrisi üzerine bir inceleme”, İDİL Dergisi
