TÜRK MİTOLOJİSİNDE KURT FİGÜRÜNÜN ANLAM EVRENİ VE ÇAĞDAŞ TÜRK RESİM SANATINDA SİMGESEL YORUMLARI

This study examines the relationship between the historical functions of the wolf figure in foundational narratives of Turkish mythology and its representations in contemporary Turkish painting. Within the framework of mythological memory in Central Asia, the cultural, ideological, and symbolic meanings attributed to the wolf figure are analyzed in a historical context through narratives such as Wu-sun Efsanesi, Bozkurt Efsanesi among the Göktürks, Ergenekon Destanı, and Oğuz Kağan Destanı. The research is structured according to the qualitative method, employing historical research and descriptive visual analysis techniques within the scope of the general survey model. In this context, mythological texts are examined through a document-based approach, followed by an analysis of wolf representations in the works of Ratip Tahir Burak, Mehmet Başbuğ, Rauf Tuncer, and Mehmet Sağ, focusing on each artist’s formal preferences, narrative language, and cultural references. The selection of these artists is based on their unique visual approaches to the wolf figure and their reinterpretation of mythological symbols within the framework of contemporary art. The visual analysis emphasizes the wolf’s compositional position, formal qualities, symbolic meaning, and connection to historical narratives. This study aims to reveal the continuity from oral culture to visual production and offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the reconstruction of a mythological figure within contemporary artistic practices, thereby contributing an original dimension to the field.