Paintings of 19th-century Istanbul to be displayed on giant screens

The "Picturesque Istanbul" digital exhibition will kick off with the support of the Hotel Association of Turkey (TÜROB) at Istanbul's Naval Museum on March 12. The exhibition will continue until May 22 and display the paintings of Istanbul by 19th century painter-travelers Antoine Ignaz Melling, Joseph Schranz, Thomas Allom, William Henry Bartlett, John F. Lewis and Ivan Ayvazovski as "digital travel books" on giant screens.

The musical score for the exhibition was both composed and arranged by accomplished piano virtuoso Anjelika Akbar. Featuring subtitles in English and Arabic, the exhibition offers an entertaining time to art lovers.

The first section of the exhibition will be at Istanbul Naval Museums' Barbaros Hall and will offer interactive information about the six artists whose works are featured in the display. The second section features huge screens - 4.5 meters high and 60 meters wide CodexArt surfaces. Scenery from 19th century Istanbul is paired with music from the era for 35 minutes. Blending the art of painting and music, "Picturesque Istanbul" will host Anjelika Akbar every day between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., and the audience will have a chance to study paintings and gravures while listening to Akbar's music.

Speaking about the exhibition the TÜROB president said: "While this project is supported by our association that always stresses the collaboration of tourism with art and culture, we believe that it will be an attractive tourism product for the local and foreign visitors."