We sat down with renowned oil painter Mustafa Özel at his studio in Kadıköy, Istanbul to learn more about his approach to painting and journey as an artist thus far.

PA: What inspired you to become a painter and what motivates you to continue painting?

MÖ: My passion for painting began during primary and secondary school - I was aware of my ability to perceive and draw reality. I decided to become a painter based on my own motivation. I think any other way of life always felt distant to me.

After completing my art education at Marmara University in 1984, I opened my studio and began working. My first exhibition was at the Dört Boyut art gallery in 1985. I've had 24 solo exhibitions, including one at the Onart Gallery in Florence in 2024.

PA: Can you briefly describe your creative process and how it has changed over the years?

MÖ: The subject of my painting has remained unchanged over the years. I choose to represent the individual as they exist in society. What has evolved over the years is my technical approach and advances - I’ve enriched my colour palette and come to recognise the possibilities of paint.

While imagery in my work tended to be blurrier in the 1980s and 1990s, clearer images began to emerge in the 2000s. This represents the process of maturing as a painter - in the early years the paintings I created with amateur enthusiasm were blurred, less clear and over time, with the growth of my technical knowledge, a more realistic approach emerged.

PA: What inspired the series “Body in Space” and how do you approach capturing emotion in your subjects?

MÖ: The "Body in Space" series is about the disappearance of the Figure-Space relationship. Previously, I constructed the figure within the space. Later, realising that the space prevented the viewer from focusing on the figure, I chose to eliminate the space in these paintings. I wanted to simplify these images and draw focus to the movements of the figures, mostly nudes, in poses that symbolise human beings' existential associations in life.

PA: What has been the most challenging aspect of your work as an artist? Was there a painting you found difficult or challenging to finish?

MÖ: When I opened my studio in 1984, I struggled to find models. This was a significant waste of time. Now, I work on several paintings simultaneously which prolongs the completion time for some large-scale works - often these can take up to 5-6 years to complete and require intense concentration and technical expertise.

PA: You work and teach in Istanbul, Amsterdam, France, and Italy. How do these different cultural contexts influence your perspective as both an artist and an educator?

MÖ: Of course, it's wonderful to be involved in different countries and cultures. The common language of painting facilitates communication and every geographic location has its own unique richness of colour.

No matter the location, country or culture I’m teaching in - what I try to communicate and demonstrate to participants in my workshops is how artistic perception can emerge through focus and technical improvement! Furthermore, I hope that participants will discover new aspects of their painting practice through my workshop.

PA: Your paintings evoke a strong emotional resonance. How important is it to you to tell a story through your art, and do you aim for viewers to interpret a narrative in your works?

MÖ: In painting, the practice of revealing a story carries inherent risk! Therefore, it's important for story and technical execution to find a balance. Keeping the story as hidden as possible or making it less perceptible enhances the painting's artistic power.

The issue of emotion relates to the painter's own essence. I've always had this feeling - a bit melancholic! This emotional state varies from painter to painter, of course. It's important for a painter to be genuine. For example, while Willem de Koonig's paintings have a dynamic and action-based energy, Arshile Gorky, a painter of the same generation, has a heavy emotional state. These differences stem from their individual experiences of life.

PA: As someone who has dedicated his life to portraiture and figure painting, how do you see the evolution of contemporary portraiture?

MÖ: Every painting a painter creates is essentially a personal portrait. When we examine a portrait of Antonello de Messina and a portrait of Julian Opie by contemporary artists, we realise that much has changed. The artistic shifts that emerged in the 20th century and after 1990 have favoured form.

We encounter practices that emphasise form or that approach two-dimensionality more closely, eliminating the emotional element. But in the Nordic countries, artists who maintain the tradition of the figure and portrait are particularly prominent. The crucial point here is that realism emerges with time! The past should be a source of learning for us - not something to repeat.

PA: Finally, what advice would you give to budding artists, especially those who are passionate about figure painting and portraiture?

MÖ: Figurative painting can be significantly challenging. The solution is to work diligently, increasing your knowledge and capacity. It's essential to begin by understanding the figure. Another crucial aspect in this process is capturing one's personal style which inevitably develops during the creative process. Everyone knows their own world and areas of interest. This needs to be visualised.

Mustafa will lead Parea Ada’s first workshop in September 2025 in Dublin, Ireland - figurative painting in oils from life.

Participants will learn from Mustafa as he demonstrates his approach to painting the figure, assembling a colour palette, capturing emotion in a subject and developing one’s own individual style of painting.

Studio visit: in conversation with Mustafa Özel