In Arif Bedii Kaptan, an artist who reflects the deformation of the figures and his tendency to abstraction, in the painting titled “The Conversion of the Republic to Youth” in 1933, a man and a woman are holding a child in their hands in front of Atatürk in a frock coat. Behind the woman, it is difficult to choose what she is doing, and there is a man and a woman, and a male figure holding a torch. On the ground, two people, naked and wearing turbans, lie under their feet. First of all, apart from Atatürk and the irregular flag next to it, the artist hid the subject behind symbolism. It can be thought that the figures lying on the ground are pre-Republican or anti-Republican values, but it is difficult to guess why the figures are depicted nude or in sports costumes. Moreover, the expressions of none of the figures are depicted indifferently to each other in a way that does not contribute to the common narrative of the subject. The dirty color spots consisting of light blue, pink and green, which Nurullah Berk finds a 'harmony', also help the painting to be limited to the size of the pattern rather than helping to explain the subject.

Arif Bedii Kaptan (1906 - 1979)

He was born in 1906 in Istanbul. He graduated from the Naval Academy. He studied painting with Nazmi Ziya and Ali Çelebi for a long time. He left the military in 1974 and went to Paaris. He continued his painting studies in the Andre Lohote studio until 1949. After returning to the country, he started working in accordance with the art views of our age.

Arif Kaptan, who has given works in Galatasaray, Group D, State Painting and Sculpture Exhibitions and various group exhibitions, has established himself both inside and outside. One of the painters sent to various parts of the country by the Community Centers Headquarters in 1940 is Arif Kaptan. He compiled successful landscapes in Kastamonu, where he was sent, that his works entered the second art period. We lost our artist, who received awards and appreciation from many competitions, in 1979.