Artist

Süleyman Seyyid

Süleyman Seyyid was born in Maltepe in 1842. He attended the Ottoman Military College, where he took painting lessons from Pierre Guès and Joseph Schranz. Recognised for his talent in charcoal drawing, watercolours, and oil painting; he was sent to Paris to continue his education in 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz (r. 1861-1876). He enrolled in the Ottoman School, which was founded in order to help Ottoman students adapt to French schools, and attended the painting studios of Alexandre Cabanel and Gustave Boulanger. During his eight years in Paris, he showed his work in various exhibitions and was awarded the ‘Officier d’Académie’ medal. In 1870 he returned to Istanbul, teaching painting at the Ottoman Military College, the Imperial Military School of Medicine, and various military high schools. He also served as an inspector at the Academy of Fine Arts for Women and taught French at the School of Forestry and Mining. His articles and translations were published in various Ottoman newspapers. He died in 1913, leaving his book Fenn-i Menâzır (Perspective) incomplete.