Marshal Fevzi Cakmak 1923

Hüseyin Avni Lifij painted “Marshal Fevzi Cakmak” with oil on canvas, although we don’t know exactly when. Lifij's brushwork is kind of restrained and tight. The surface seems smoothly finished, and that makes me wonder what was going through his head. It’s as if he's trying to capture not just a likeness, but also a sense of the marshal's authority and the weight of his responsibilities. There's a sense of careful observation in the way he renders the folds of the marshal's uniform, the glint of light on the desk lamp, and the intricate details of the map in the background. Everything feels precise and deliberate, and yet also a little bit… distant. I mean, I don't get a strong sense of the marshal's personality, I don't know what he's thinking about. Maybe Lifij was trying to convey something more about power than the person. The way the details of the setting and his uniform are given as much attention as his facial features speaks to this. It’s reminiscent of early portraits by someone like Manet, where the subject is presented in a rather formal way, but with a modern sensibility that acknowledges the constructed nature of representation.