Şeker Ahmed Pasha

"Şeker" Ahmed Pasha
File:Seker ahmet pasa.jpg Portrait of "Şeker" Ahmed Pasha
Born	1841 (1841) Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Died	1907 (1908) (aged 66) Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Nationality	Ottoman
Known for	Painter

"Şeker" Ahmed Pasha (1841 – 5 May 1907) was an Ottoman painter, soldier and government official. His real name was Ahmed Ali, his nickname "Şeker" meaning "sugar" in Turkish.

File:Seker ahmet pasa ayvali naturmort.JPG

Ayvali Naturmort (Still life with Quinces), "Şeker" Ahmed Pasha

Biography

Born in Üsküdar, Istanbul he entered medical school in 1855, then transferred to the military academy. Here, he showed an interest in painting, his medical and military experience having aroused his interest anatomy and perspective. Sultan Abdülaziz liked his work and sent him to Paris immediately after Süleyman Seyyid, to study under Gustave Boulanger and Jean-Léon Gérôme. He spent seven years of study in France, and had an exhibition of his oil paintings in Paris in 1869. He returned to Istanbul in 1871, with a military rank of Captain.

In 1873, he organized one of the first painting exhibits in Istanbul. "Şeker" Ahmed Pasha advanced in the ranks quickly, in 1876 being promoted to Major, in 1877 to Lieutenant Colonel, in 1880 to Colonel, in 1885 to Brigadier General, and in 1890 to Lieutenant General. In 1896 he became responsible for Protocol.

"Şeker" Ahmed Pasha is one of the most important examples of the Ottoman military painters. He painted nature-related subjects such as forests, fruits, flowers, and animals with great skill. His life and art reflects the experience of Ottoman elites in the aftermath of the Tanzimat reform movement, which sought to know better the Western culture and either emulate it or blend it with traditional Ottoman patterns - which he did in the field of painting.

He died on May 5, 1907, of a heart attack, and is buried in Eyup Sultan Cemetery in Istanbul.