Süleyman Saim Tekcan

Pronounced “Souleyman Saim Tekjan”

It was year 1965, artist and scholar Süleyman Saim Tekcan was headhunted for a role in what came to be a masterpiece of Turkish cinema, titled ‘Sevmek Zamanı’ (‘Time to Love’).

Before the internet came along, people who were seeking stardom, who were also confident in their physique would submit their photos to Ses Magazine, in order to be featured on the cover. Ones who got shortlisted in the competition often found themselves with roles on TV - just like Süleyman S. Tekcan (seen below sitting on the highest step).

‘Time to Love’ is a cult classic with its picturesque cinematography and fascinating plot; telling the story of a man who falls in love with the photograph of a woman and rejects the woman herself.
For those of you who are up for a challenge, the only version in Turkish can be seen through here.

Quickly becoming aware of the realities of being in the public eye, Tekcan was off-put by the hundreds of fan-letters he would receive every-day, from young women and admiring prisoners alike.

Already having invested in his visual arts education by this point, he went back to concentrating on his career as an artist.
Though his first breakthrough came with his works inspired by memories of being carried on his mother’s shoulders, he gained international recognition through depicting horses more than any other artist in the world.

“Horses play a very important role in the history of humankind. the establishment of empires wouldn’t have been possible without horses.”

Tekcan’s artistic vision crossed paths with an equally talented artist Birsen Karaosman (a.k.a. Kum Kum), through her portrayal of Tekcan’s horses using embroidery. As one of our makers, we feature Kum Kum’s colourful character and her incredible skill on our Makers Page here. You can browse Birsen’s stunning artworks in our collection.

Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50lABfrX-BU , https://imoga.org/collections/suleyman-saim-tekcan http://www.suleymansaimtekcan.com/pPages/pArtist.aspx?paID=355&section=1&lang=ENG&bhcp=1

Photo credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caJQsba9O1A , https://www.artiummodern.com/urun/1246552/suleyman-saim-tekcan-d-1940-at-imzali-tuval-uzerine-yagliboya-64-x-44-cm , https://www.instagram.com/p/BwmAqU8AKJL/