The Expression of the Nude in Belkis Mustafa’s Art: The Inflfluence of Painter Mihri and Lovis Corinth

This article evaluates the place of Belkıs Mustafa (1896–1925), one of the first graduates of the Academy of Fine Arts for Women (İnas Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi), in art history from a feminist perspective. The study’s main thesis is that the artist’s significance stems not merely from being an early period female figure, but from her adoption of a radical practice such as the male nude as part of her academic formation, despite the social and religious reservations of her era. The article comparatively examines the artist’s educational experiences in the workshops of Painter Mihri and Lovis Corinth. Belkıs Mustafa’s nude studies are analyzed as concrete evidence of her rejection of the traditional role of the “object of the gaze” in art history and her claim to the position of the “active observer.” This practice reveals that the artist perceived art as a universal discipline and stands as an early and noteworthy example of the struggle for professional equality.