MEANING THE TREE AS A CONTEMPORARY ART IMAGINE

Abstract

In the time period extending from the past to the present, the tree appears as both an object and an image not only Turkish culture but also in different cultures. In addition, the tree has taken its place in art and art history as an important asset in human life. The tree, which seems an ordinary object but exists imaginatively in the field of art, has been given deep meanings in history. The tree has sometimes become set into an expression as an object, as a form or as a legend. It has sometimes been the symbol of life and death as the tree of life, the genealogy as an indicator of personal history, or a wishing tree that expresses hopes for the future, and sometimes it has been the object of a political reaction. In this study, it is emphasized how the 'tree' image is valued, how it has experienced a historical change process and how it is interpreted in today's art. Besides, it is focused on creating different meanings artistically through images and reconstruction with changes in meaning also producing new meanings. In summary, in this study, a perspective that criticize the different meaning and change process of the tree image with examples from some contemporary artists is presented.