Renk, Kaos ve Matisse: A. S. Byat’ın “Sanat İşi”nde Temizlikçi Kadının ‘Sanat Yapıtı’

Year 2020, Volume: 37 Issue: 1, 186 - 194, 30.06.2020

Asya Sakine Ucar

https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.645892

Abstract

İngiliz yazar A.S. Byatt sanatı ve sanatçıları ön plana çıkaran anlatıları ile bilinir. 1993 yılında yayımlanan ve üç öyküden oluşan Matisse Öyküleri yazarın sanata olan ilgisine iyi bir örnek oluşturur zira her bir öykü Fransız ressam Henri Matisse’e ait bir resimden esinlenmiştir. Üç öyküden biri olan Sanat İşi’nde sanat ve renk hikayenin temelini oluştururken, Byatt farklı yaklaşımlar benimsemelerine rağmen Matisse’den esinlenmiş iki karakter, evin babası Robin ve temizlikçi kadın Bayan Brown arasındaki gerilim üzerinden hikayesini oluşturur. Robin, uyum ve yalınlık üzerine kurulu son derece katı bir renk teorisi benimseyen, karısı Debbie’nin kişisel fedakârlıklarını tamamen görmezden gelerek sadece kendi çalışmalarıyla ilgilenen biridir. Robin’in aksine Bayan Brown ise, etnik kökeni ve farklı materyalleri bir araya getirip, sentezleme kabiliyetleri ile çok daha renkli, karmaşık hatta deneysel bir yaklaşım sunar. Bayan Brown on yıldır çalıştığı evde biriktirdiği kumaş parçaları, hatta elektrik süpürgesini dönüştürerek son derece renkli, yenilikçi ve özgür ruhlu bir sanat yapıtı üretir. Nitekim Bayan Brown’un bu son derece yaratıcı çalışması bir sanat galerisinde sergilenir ve bir gecede ona ün getiren bir başarıya dönüşür. Dolayısıyla, Bayan Brown’ın birçok renk ve materyali biraraya getirerek oluşturduğu yapıtı sadece Matisse’in sanat anlayışını yansıtmaz aynı zamanda onun bir hizmetçi ya da kadın olarak hislerini aktarabileceği sanatsal bir alan oluşturur zira bu evdeki emeği, kişisel girişim ve yeteneği sadece ona başarı getiren gizli bir sanat işinden öteye geçerek sınıf, ırk ve cinsiyet ayrımlarını da işaret eder.

Keywords

Sanat, renk, Matisse, Byatt, kolaj, yaratıcı, kadın

Color, Chaos and Matisse: The Cleaning Lady's 'Work of Art' in A.S. Byatt's Art Work

Abstract

British writer A.S. Byatt is known for her fictions foregrounding descriptions of art and artists. Published in 1993, The Matisse Stories, a collection of three stories, is a good example of her fascination with art as each narrative is inspired by a painting of French artist Henri Matisse. Of the three, “Art Work” thematizes art and color as reminiscent of Matisse and Byatt creates her story through a tension between Robin, the father, and Mrs. Brown, the cleaning lady of the house who are both Matisse-inspired artists in different approaches. Robin embraces a rigid color theory based on harmony and pureness and he is completely obsessed with his works ignoring his wife, Debbie’s personal sacrifices. Unlike Robin, Mrs. Brown represents a more colorful, creational and even experimental practices derived from her ethnic origins as well as abilities of knitting and collaging unusual materials. Besides her own creativity and free spirit, Mrs. Brown gets the material and ideas from the household like pieces of fabric or the vacuum cleaner but recycles and transforms them in such a flamboyant and innovative way that it gains a showing in a gallery and her exhibit becomes an overnight success. Her colorful, chaotic and collage work of art does not just serve as an embodiment of Matisse’s art but she also finds an artistic medium of expression to transplant her emotions as a servant or woman as her personal endeavor and talent turn into a secret work of art addressing certain inequalities of gender, class and race.

Keywords

Art, color, Matisse, Byatt, collage, creative, woman

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