Paper marbling (Ebru)

Ebru art has a long history and a technique completelyunique to its form. Known as Turkish Ebru art, its cultural significance originally began as a step in bookbinding, but has now found its place in the art world.

Originally ebru art or paper marbling was a step in bookbinding and used as a background for calligraphy. During the Ottoman Empire Ebru was used to prevent writing from being erased from a document. "Benjamin Franklin sed Ebru on currency to eliminate forgeries and also in accounting books", says Nuri Pınar, a well known Turkish Ebru artist.

The process of making ebru is unique due to its being completely painted under water. Water is placed into a rectangular tray in which gum is added to make the consistency much thicker. Then paint is sprinkled onto the surface and a pattern is created by running a thin stick through it. Once the pattern is completed, a sheet of paper is placed on top for a couple of minutes. The paper is then carefully removed revealing the Ebru design.

The meaning of the word ebru varies according to its cultral origins "Ebr" in Çağatay Turkish means clouds, while "Ebri" means reminiscent or resembling. "In western cultures it means marbling, which may sound cold ad harsh. We call it cloud-like because it changes its shape, colour and light, and you cannot touch it. The cultural differences come out trough the terminology", Pınar said.

Ebru's evolution

Ebru started as a form of decorative paper art and is now an art form itself. The oldest known example of Ebru is in the Topkapı museum. It is an anthology of poetry called Ruhi Cevgan by poet Arifi from 1539.

In its begginings, only organic paints were used and only one type of gum was available. Today, there are many pigments, both chemical and organic, that can be used, as well as many varieties of gum from seaweed to salep.

Originally Ebru was only abstract, but over the last 130 years it has became popular to add stylized flowers. And today most Ebru artists are women, whereas in days gone by it was an art form carried out mainly by men. The reasons for these changes are simple "necessity and demand", Pınar says.

Less talent more love and patience

To become an Ebru artist is quite difficult; not because it requires a special talnt but because it requires patience, self-sacrifice, hard work and tolerance, said Hikmet Bartçugil, another leading figure in Ebru art. He adds that it is possible to larn the art of ebru by practicing and reading books on the subject, which is time consuming. "Trying to pick it up by yourself or just learning one aspect might take hours, whereas a master can show it to you in five minutes". On the other hand, Fuat Başar, another important contemporary ebru artist in Turkey, claims that the only way to learn the art is from a master. "You don't need any special talent to become an Ebru artist. Love and patience however are essential" e says.

Ebru art is also used in psychological treatmets in some countries such as Austria. Children with special needs were asked to create an ebru design. When they went to collect their work from the drying shelves, each child managed to recognise his or her own work. "Each design is unique to the artist and to the time it was created, it is suitable for use in psycologcal therapies", adds Başar.

Ebru not only has a long history within Turkey, it is also intgral to the Turkish identity."Culture is what makes me who I am. My identity is forget by this land, through Turkey. Our roots run underground, I belong here. Traditional art forms, such as these, are vital in all cultures. For this culture to continue, traditional art must continue" Pınar said.According t Barutçugil the way for a country to prove itself in the international arena is firstly by protecting its national culture. "Ebru is ours. We have to protect and evaluate these traditional and cultural values to bequeath a more advanced civilization to future generations", he said.

Some of the essential materials

Gumming materials: Gumming materials are added to water to make the colour pigmens float on water and then, adhesion of them on paper is easier. The most popular gum used is tragaccanth, as well as flax seeds, orchid root, quince seeds, fenugreek seeds, ad carrageenan.

Trough: Classical artiss mostly use troughs made of pine seled with tar. However, troughs made of galvaized iron or steel are commonly used as well.

Brush: The Ebru artists ties his/her own brush. The edge of the brush is left in dye containers to make it curl so the artist can use it to make unique figures.

Water: The water must be pure, PH neutral, chlorine and ozone free.

Dyes: In traditional Turkish ebru, only dyes made from natural pigments are used.

Ox-gall: It is used to homogenize dyes and makes them thinner so they stay on the water's surface and become more adhesive on paper. Besides ox-gall, turbot-gall or sheep-gall can also be used.

Turpentine: It is a natural thinner producing a light-coloured spotted pattern.

Pins and needles: A variety of pins and needles is used for dropping dye and shaping it on the water surface.

Paper: High quality paper of 80-90 g/m2 weight is used.

Combs: Combs varying in thickness and lenght are used to create rhytmic patterns on combed type ebru.

Drying shelves: A flat surface is necessary to properly dry the finished ebru.

The art of Ebru (marbling)