Lot 19: Erol Akyavas (1932-1999) End of Encounter, each panel 270 x 110cm (106 5/16 x 43 5/16in); entire work 270 x 220cm (106 5/16 x 86 5/8in).

End of Encounter, diptych, oil, acrylic, pencil and mixed media on canvas, signed 'Erol, N.Y.' and dated '82 lower right, each panel 270 x 110cm (106 5/16 x 43 5/16in); entire work 270 x 220cm (106 5/16 x 86 5/8in).

Provenance:
Private UK collection.

Exhibited:
Erol Akyavas, The Institure of Contemporary Arts, London, 1988. End of Encounter also appears in the accompanying exhibition catalogue, pp.5-6.

Published:
Dostoglu, Haldun and Beral Madra, Erol Akyavas: His Life and Works, Istanbul, 2000, pp.199, plate 406.

End of Encouter forms part of a series of large works Erol Akyavas painted in 1982, the height of his artistic career. Two other important works from these series entitled The Glory of Victory (see, auction catalogue, Antik A.S., 7th March 2010, lot 125) and Fall of a Dream (see, auction catalogue, Beyazart, 30th May 2009, lot 204) were sold at auction in the last two years.

End of Encounter is a remarkable painting to be offered at auction since it completes the missing link to these three major works from the series. Each of these paintings offers a poetic bird's eye view of Ottoman-Byzantine castle elements floating within a labyrinth of space and time. End of Encounter with its luminous warm golden colours can almost be compared to a sunset.

There is a distinctive figure of a Persian warrior in the midst of tightening a bow and arrow above his fallen horse which is repeated through the lower part of the canvas against the backdrop of crenellated towers. Huntsmen are also depicted, whether fully-or half-visible, reminiscent of miniatures from Fidaursi's Shahnameh. Other sporadic motifs include the Chinese-inspired cloud scrolls, a motif that is often seen on ceramics and textiles dating to the Ottoman period.

An interesting element that are both visible in Fall of a Dream and End of Encounter is the depiction of a floating staircase on the upper right-hand side of the canvas. Demet Sonmez, explains that the stairs 'act as an exit through the labyrinth made by castles, from the borders of this world and the choice it offers to another world' (Dostoglu, Haldun and Beral Madra, Erol Akyavas: His Life and Works, Istanbul, 2000, pp.63.) Altogether this is an extraordinary painting, which is able to recount the life of Erol Akyavas, his philosophy, his cultural heritage, his religious beliefs, and not least his artistic background.



Encounters shape our lives, enabling us to perceive, make sense of and analyze the world in which we live. They begin at birth and grow as we ourselves develop, helping us to understand our world and the people in it. Those who develop their individuality gain heightened awareness and the ability to create something of original value.

The al-Hallaj series defines the artistic identity of Erol Akyavas. Akyavas was born in Ankara and was introduced to art in the studio of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboglu whilst studying architecture at the Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul in the mid 20th Century. Moving to Italy, Akyavas continued his education at the Florence Fine Art Academy where he discovered the art of Renaissance Masters.

Later, in Paris he was exposed to Cubist theories and Contemporary art at the studios of Andre Lhote and Fernand Leger. In the New York of the 1960's, then the centre of the Contemporary Arts Scene, Akyavas rented a loft where he was able to create large scale works with a spiritual profundity such as On the way to Karbala, and The Locus of Extremity.

End of the Encounter however defined a new period – a synthesis of all that had gone before. In this work, Akyavas makes links between the concrete and the abstract; the flesh and the soul – castle walls and Chinese cloud scroll motifs.
Professor Kiymet Giray, March 2011.