When you want to exhibite paintings which took start from the great artists who lived at least three centuries ago in the ottoman reign;it would be fair to dedicate them few words...

Because of the of Muslim rites,we didn't have great painters before the 20th.century but very great "Serail's Nakkas"...   (Artist who illustrated,embelished books.)            

What we have now -as the "Turkish Painting" from 8.th and 10.th century-are from the ouigour civilisation...
These miniatures were adorning texts written in the "Mani" language...

These texts orned with miniatures,show great variety during the 11. and 13. centuries,while the seldjoukie erea's reign....
Some exemples:Makamat and Dimne, Kitab-i Aghani(Song book) and Varka and Gulsah..ext...

...It's now certain that the miniatures designed by "Siyah Kalem"was brought to Istanbul by the little
son of "Timor"(sultan of transoxian)Bediuzzaman Mirza...(There are 153 pieces in Topkapi Palaces Museum)

"Ottoman Miniature Art" then showed great progress by the Mehmet 2.(Who conquered Istanbul
in 1453 and who had much passion for the art.)

He invited divers artist to his palace (mostly, Italians like, Bellini,Ferrara..)to make his portraits...

By the arrival of the "Print" in the end of the 18.century,that art left place to the "printing industry"!...

I would like to mention some of the precious artist of the miniature paintings ;
Matrakci Nasuh,Nigari,Buhari and Levni...

LEVNI

He was the most proeminent artist of miniature art of the Tulip Periode( Tulip Era:1718-1730). Born in Edirne(the date is not specified).Died:1732

He wasn't only a painter but also a poet and a writer...(I am sure he would make a very good "fashion designer"if he lived in our time!...)

He wrote his poems mostly dedicated to Sultan called Ahmet.the III.(1673-1736)

"The Tulip Era" so called because of love and care for the tulip became encreasingly the vogue....

Levni was responsable with the 137 miniatures for two volumes of "Surname"(Book of poems written by Vehbi the poet)

There are no strong or striking colors in Levni's designes:no fanciful figures,no legendery birds or
animals,as commonly found in Persian miniatures...He preferred simplicity to color tricks,veneer or ostentation.
Levni's miniatures shows examples of Turkish dresses and Turkish social life of the period...
        I would also like to mention some other names of painters in this century:Abdullah Buhari,Seyyid Yumni,Kayyum Bas,
Elseyid Mehmed,Rafail,Kostantin,Israti...