The study refers to fish and its relation to man and explores its socio-cultural meaning for humanity. After surveying contemporary Turkish painting, it has been found that artists, producing works in various artistic perspectives, used fish figures in their paintings. Among others, Mustafa Pilevneli, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Nedim Günsür, Güler Akalan, Feyhaman Duran, Eren Eyüboğlu, Hasan Vecih Bereketoğlu, Fatih Mika, Muzaffer Akyol, Avni Arbaş are the well known names to be mentioned in this respect. However, the paper covers exclusively the study of the works of Eren Eyüboğlu who had consistently treated fish as a theme in her paintings. Many works of Eyuboğlu treating the theme of fish have been studied, and it has been observed that she handled the issue as geometrical abstracts in a number of paintings, and as tinctured abstracts in others, and in other occasions she used both of these abstractions together. Additionally, it has been also observed that Eyuboğlu, who made use of local and cultural elements as subjects for her works, treated fish both to indicate its association with its meaning in many cultures as plentitude and abundance and intended to use it as a means of plastic expression. The research has been based on general surveying model and applied qualitative research techniques and methods.
Keywords: Contemporary Turkish painting, Eren Eyüboğlu, fish, art of painting