Zef Clement immigrated to İstanbul towards the end of 1981 and he made his dream of
living in Turkey real; and he had taken the name Mohammed Said as a muslim. With the
effect of his life as a “Muslim-Turkish”, he made good works which opened new horizons
in his fertility and art. He opened his first exhibition in 7th of January, 1983, and he died
as a Muslim in 1983 in Turkey about which he had said “All my life will pass here.” His
grave is in Karacaahmed Graveyard which he liked very much and he passed his time a
lot. He had even took pictures of there and made painting of there.
09-11-2010
Yazının devamını göster
We listen the thoughts of the famous painter from his dear wife Melike Clement:
“One of the paintings which he had made a little time ago before his death reflects
Karacaahmed Graveyard. He had liked Karacaahmed so much. He had said that he
was taking pleassure from visiting there and feeling peace. He even wanted to bring a
tombstone home. But he gave up that idea when he learned that it was not proper in
terms of religion. He wanted that something carrying the atmosphere of Karacaahmed
and giving the message of Karacaahmed is found near him. He was feeling close to both
the lives and deaths of the Muslims. When he returned as a Muslim from his first İstanbul
travel, he told the Dutch newspapers these things. There, one of his sentences was
very interesting: “Turkish people know how to live brotherly and how to die brotherly;
because, even their graves are so close to each other, brotherly.
He had learned Catholic teachings beginning from his childhood. His family had been
trying to do everything to see him as a good Catholic. Sometimes they had wanted him
to read some pages from the Bible. And they had wanted him to follow the prayings and
ceremonies in the church. Of course it was not possible to live a different life from this
for a miner living as a villager in Netherlands. He was a good Catholic believing God
sincerely, but he always preferred to go to the church alone and pray alone. He said
that “I had been going to the church alone, and I had been praying to the God directly.
When praying I take Prophet Jesus Christ out of between God and me; because Catholic
people pray Jesus Christ first, and then pray God through the mediation of him.
Zef Clement had been a mystical, deep person since very young ages; he was created as
an “artist”.
When Mrs. Melike Clement was a teacher in Stockholm, her friends who knew that she
was very interested in art mention about Zef Clement. Then, immediately she goes to visit
him. And they get married in the third day of their knowing each other. He says “I got
divorced from my first wife and never thought about marrying. I could not understand
how it happened but we got married.”
In a summer holiday they come to Istanbul because she wants to introduce Zef to her
family. In the plane, Zef says “As soon as the plane lands, we will go to the mosque. I
will pray and thank God since I know you, this country and Islam.” When they come to
Istanbul in the evening, Mrs. Melike takes him home because she thinks that in those
hours mosque could not be opened. She is a very honest person. She says: “I had never
been to a mosque until that time. In fact I was a Muslim, I had belief; however I had not
known my religion. I thought mosques are closed in the evening like the shops.”
In the morning the first thing he did was looking for a mosque. I got a headscarf with the
advice of my father, and took him to the Erenköy Galip Paşa Mosque which was close to
us. Since I did not know, I found the imam and told him that my husband who was not a
Muslim wanted to pray God in the mosque. I asked how to pray there. He said: “Here is
home of God; so however he wants, wherever he wants he can pray. When I told this Zef,
he became very glad.
He immediately took his shoes off and entered the mosque with great excitement. I
entered too with excitement and surprise... I was curious that how and where he would
pray and thank to God… He directly went to close to the mihrab and prostrated. I waited
behind him for half an hour. I began to get anxious, and then he raised his head. His face
was pure light which I never saw before… When leaving, he saw the prayer beads in
the mosque. He asked what are they for and he liked them so much… He wanted to buy
one. He had thought the things in the mosque like the things in the European churches;
because they sell the holy things in the churches. They said that they were not for sale
but he could use them in the mosque. However they gave him one of them as a present.
He took and attached it like a necklace…
When we got out of the mosque, Zef was still excited. After a long silence, he said those
words:
“While I was praying in the mosque, a spiral pure light came towards me from the sky… I
saw the light of Allah there… I could stay for times in that world, it was so nice.” During
the holiday, we wanted to show him our traditions that he liked so much because he
was so curious about knowing Turkey and Islam. Because of his desire we took him to a
circumcision ceremony one day. Lots of children were going to be circumcised. The Holy
Koran was being read. And then people all together said: “Allahu Ekber Allahu Ekber.”
He was joining sincerely too. Later, when the ceremony finished, Zef said that he wanted
to be circumcised too. We got so surprised and afraid too; because he was diabetic ill
and that might be dangerous for him. Even the doctor’s warning did not work. He was
insisting on it, he was so determined. We had so say “OK” and he became circumcised.
Fortunately, nothing bad appeared because of his circumcision. Later, he immediately
said that he wanted to be a Muslim. Although we did not come up with any advice and
attempt he must had thought over it and decided. I had learned before that he had
been searching about the religions and the philosophies, and meanwhile he had some
information about Islam too.
He said the Islamic confession of faith with a great desire and he said that he was
very peaceful as a Muslim. He wanted his name to become Muslim too. He was
given the name “Said” as Turkish version and similar of the name “Zef”. Later he
added “Muhammed” to this name, and he became “Muhammed Said”…
When returning from the summer holiday he took a surprising decision too: He was going
to settle in Turkey. However I never found this decision believable; because his life style
in Netherlands was not leavable. The government had appropriated a church as an art
house and gallery especially to him. He was using the upstairs of the church as a house.
His possibilities and esteem were peak. He used to open exhibitions, give conferences,
teach young artists and organize concerts. In other words he had everything he wanted
there.
In addition he was an individual who loved his country so much. He was loyal to his
family too. How was he going to leave all these ties and come to Turkey? I could not
believe his that decision that time.
However when we returned to Netherlands, the announce that he made to the
newspapers showed that his decision was definite; because he said to the newspapers: “I
have become a Muslim and I will settle in Turkey.”
That times all press, many radios, TV channels came to our house. Many questions,
opposing, even threats went on. I got afraid of them in case they make harm…
However, according to Zef Clement the West got so materialistic. So materialistic and
strict that cannot be livable. He said that to those who asked his being circumcised: “Even
if my arm had to be cut, I would have have it cut for Islam without hesitation. You cannot
understand this. This feeling is a different thing which is beyond even nation love...”
They did not want to send him. There have been terrible reactions. However he had
decided before strictly. These decisions made him relax. He even forgave his son who is
from his previous wife with this relaxation.
One day, one day from the last days of 1981, he came and settled in Turkey with his wife
by loading his whole world into a TIR. He said “Now, I am relaxed and peaceful; because
the next years of my life will pass here.”
Really, he was in love with this country. He was in love with everything of this country
from its stone to its soil, from its flower to its insect. According to him, Turkey was
producing art with everything. Was it possible to leave that kind of a country? He loved
and respected to Turkish people; because his heart was from Mediterranean, he had a
Mediterranean heart. He found the humans to whom his heart was in love with here,
in Turkey. So he did not understand the intellectuals, especially the artists who leave
Turkey. He was surprised about the admiration of Europe which is produced artificially.
So he hugged our flag and cried when we came in Turkey. He became a citizen of this
country, an individual of this nation. This feeling settled into his heart so strongly that he
used to get angry with those who introduced him as a Dutch: “No, I am not a Dutch, I am
Turkish, and I am Muslim. I am one of you. Please count me as somebody from you.”
The place which he used visit most was Karacaahmed Graveyard, the place of his grave,
the environment of it, and the surroundings of it. One day he visits a small mosque and
tomb in Küçük Çamlıca. He likes there so much. He prays, also he hangs the prayer beads
which were on his neck with happiness.
He wanted to live as a real Muslim Turkish, he did this by feeling deeply. He used to listen
to Islamic music, hymns and he used to like the calls to the prayer. He used to look at the
Erenköy Mosque’s minaret which was very close to his workplace and especially used to
listen to the morning call to the prayer.
He never used to miss the Mevlits from TV or radio. The word “Allah” was the word that
he liked most in Turkish. He used to use it with its all kinds of usages in Turkish. For
instance, when he gets surprised, he used to say “Allah Allah”, “Maaşallah”. Even the
creator name that he used in his prayers was “Allah”. Now, whole his heart was full with
this belief.
He used to say “Unless Allah holds my hand and makes it move, unless he inspires me,
unless he leads my heart I cannot draw.” The real owner and the creator of everything is
Allah. We are human beings that he moves with his will, power and knowledge.
There is a direct connection with Allah in Islam. Whenever one wants, he can be together
with him. He said: “There is no middleman, how nice!” He was a fan of Mevlana who lived
the tolerance of Islam, and still lives with his works.
His admiration of the art of “Hat” (Beautiful writing with Arabic letters) cannot be told
with the words. In addition, he wanted to combine art of “Hat” with painting and invent
a new trend of art. In his last paintings this desire was quite visible. He used to get angry
with the artists who do not imitate the local arts. He used to say: “What is in Europe?!
Everything of you is art. You should realize the worth of them.”
He loved villages especially. He was so much fond of Anatolian civilization. He used to
reflect villages, villager women to his paintings. He started to get bored of Istanbul in his
last days: “What is in Istanbul? Let’s go to village.” said he. His will was to settle down a
village and die there. He even changed his bread and resembled Muslims.
He got so worried about the miners who had lost their lives in the disaster of mine in
Zonguldak. He said: “I died like them too, got worried like their families too.” He donated
one of his paintings for them. He was going to send the income to the miners’ families. If
his life was enough, he was going to personally visit them. He followed the newspapers
that were telling the news with a great interest. He couldn’t stand, underwent a heart
disease. Mrs. Melike Clement was with him in the hospital. The doctor said: “Make him
drink water until morning, he had been thirsty. There is one more patient in the same
room. Since Zef’s condition is hopeless, not to make the other patient hopeless, they take
him to another room. That patient says to Mrs. Melike that: “I have got some water which
is prayed, if you like, make him drink this.” After Zef’s approval, his wife makes him drink
it. Zef sleeps for a while. He wakes up so hopeful and happy. He says: “In my dream, I
went to the heaven and returned this night. But, I returned from the gate…” The time is
Ramadan month. This dream is a fertility of Ramadan to that pure heart.
He wants to fast in the first day of Ramadan. However, the insistence of his wife and the
doctors cannot be enough to make him give up. They do not want him to fast. Because he
is a chronical diabetic, he needs to take insulin continually. But he becomes stubborn. He
says “They can give insulin in the evening. I will decide this, not the doctors. But first, I
should try. Maybe fast will be beneficial for me. Allah will show me if I can fast or not.” In
the first day he fasts without going away from the bed.
The second day he wants to go out. He says: “Muslims both fast and go on their works.”
He goes out with his wife. While they are having a trip, he gets worse and has to break
the fast.
When he died, it is again Ramadan. 1 July 1983. A nice and warm day from summer
Ramadan. Also Friday.
Mrs. Melike tells:
“When he died, the color of his complexion changed, his face got bright even though he
was ill and pale in those days. He turned into sweetness. Only I was with him. I get used
to death thanks to him. I am not afraid of death any more.”
According to Zef, birth was as natural as death and death was as natural as birth. Thanks
to this perspective, he loved death as much as birth. He used to say “Why do people get
happy with birth, but not with death? Isn’t it another sort of birth?”
Mrs. Clement have learned the suras of Fatiha and İhlas in order to make prayer for him.
She is used to read them three times every evening. She says that she is proud of being
wife of an artist who loves her religion and motherland.
Zef Clement used to say that he draws in a symbolical and mystical way. He found the
love which he had been looking for since his childhood and he had wanted to give, in
Turkey.
