NASRA SHIMMESHID AND ICONOGRAPHY, MASTER OF PRINTING ART

Abstract

Printmaking is one of the branches of art that best reflects the traditions, customs, tastes and beliefs of the society for centuries. This art is a type of art made on fabric with various root or chemical dyes using carved wooden molds. Şımmeshindi family living in Mardin has a rightful reputation in the field of printing. The Şımmeshindi family, of Syriac origin, has been continuing the art of printing in Mardin for two hundred years as a family tradition. Nasra Şımmeshindi, the last representative of the practice of printing, Syriac printmaker from Mardin, transmits the motifs and patterns, she created by adding her own interpretation with both non-religious and Biblical subjects, on fabric materials used for different purposes with a subjective perspective. The studys method was compared with the icons made before and after Christianity, by comparing the prints created by Nasra Şımmeshindi with a subjective perspective. The differences in the artist’s style of were analyzed in a universal framework with a literature review. In this context, the baptism, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus, and the prints of Nasra Şimmeshindi, depicting different saints will be discussed. As a result, his work and techniques have played an important role in shaping the historical texture and preserving the multi-cultural structure.