Although it is not known exactly how the art of ebru first emerged, the geography of Turkestan, Iran and India is considered to be among the possibilities where the art of ebru emerged. In our country, the art of ebru was first experienced during the Ottoman period. The arrival of ebru art to the Ottoman Empire took place through Iran. In addition, ebru art is an art practiced not only in our country and Iran but also in the West. Ebru art, which has a special place among fine arts, was taken to the West by European travelers and the first works showing the Western example were also during these periods.
How is ebru art made?
In order to realize ebru art, you first need some materials that you will use in this art. These materials consist of paper, paint, gall, rose branch, boat and gall. After the materials are fully provided, the chamber called the boat, in which the paper will lie, is filled with tragacanth water. The amount of tragacanth water may vary from person to person, from master to master and according to the purpose of the work to be made. After adding the tragacanth water into the basin, this mixture is left to stand for approximately 2 or 3 days. After the mixture is strained thinly, the soil dye to be used is added and then gall is added. This mixture is ready for a waiting period of 15 to 30 days in order to form the desired color. However, the quality of the material to be used in the art of ebru is also very important in order to successfully perform the art of ebru. A work made with poor quality working materials may not give the expected result. Therefore, before starting the art of ebru, you should carefully select the materials you will use and act with an understanding that absolutely does not compromise on quality. After pouring the tragacanth water into the basin, patterns are drawn on the water with the help of the desired paints. After the patterns are drawn, special paper produced specifically for ebru art and called marble or Turkish paper is laid. This paper is pulled over the tragacanth water on which the pattern is drawn on the basin in one go. The pulled paper is left to dry for a while to dry and for the patterns to become clear. This method is the traditional method used in the art of ebru. In addition to this method, you can perform the art of ebru with different working techniques using modern materials and create unique ebru art works. After sharing the technical information of ebru art with you, it is necessary to comment on the visual and intellectual processes that are necessary for this art in terms of spiritual and aesthetics. Ebru art, like every art branch within the fine arts, is a type that appeals to certain aesthetic and cognitive perceptions. It is expected that the patterns to be drawn in ebru art should have a structure that appeals to the senses from a visible perspective and evokes certain beautiful emotions. In this respect, if you intend to work on ebru art, it will be to your advantage to evaluate the examples previously made in this type from a technical and aesthetic perspective and to have a certain artistic view. In this way, you will see the best examples of ebru art and it will be possible for you to think in a certain perspective when you start this art.
