Surreal Cappadocia – Art from Turkey

Our friend “Stinky” is an epidemiologist whose work has taken him all over the world. When he chose Cappadocia, Turkey for the subject of the drawing he commissioned, I knew that it must be a truly wonderful place. I hope that everyone requests such interesting commissions.

Here it is, Stinky, online and very soon, in your hands:

Surreal Cappadocia, mixed media on paper, 8″ x 10″ | Art by Todd Berman

I didn’t need to seek out a good view for this drawing; the whole area around the town of Goreme is bizarre. There are fairy chimneys all over, sometimes tucked next to cliffs of softly curving waves of stone. The organic curves of the rock formations are interrupted by the doors and windows of the cave homes that people have been carving here for thousands of years. Higher up, people have also carved roosts for pigeons who have helped fertilize the land so that now grapes vines fill the floors of the valleys.

The images in the sky of Surreal Cappadocia are copied from inside the cave churches. I believe that the geometric patterns predate the bible paintings in the church walls, but the moon goddess drawing does not. The early Christians of this region did not give up their old gods right away. In the Byzantine paintings of the crucifixion, this mood goddess is looking over Jesus’ shoulder.

Cappadocia is fascinating on many levels. Thank you, Stinky, for giving me this art mission.