Seascapes and stories

The Mediterranean basin is the cradle of civilizations, no doubt about it. Sea trade has been connecting Europe, the Middle East and Africa since ages, creating a cornucopia of diverse cultures interacting and contributing to each other. Levantines, Europeans settled in the Levant, have been instrumental in initiating the first industrialization and modernization movements in the Eastern Mediterranean area. During the late Ottoman period, the Aegean province of İzmir has been the hub of Levantine culture, being a major port export in the Aegean region.  

İzmir, ancient Smyrna, and its environs has been among the most bountiful agricultural lands in the Eastern Mediterranean, providing valuable crops to the western world from cotton to tobacco, from raisins to dried figs. Lucien Arkas is the third generation boss of Arkas Holding, a leading transport company of Turkey, based in İzmir. His great grandfather had emigrated to Ottoman İzmir from Marseilles back in the 18th century and the family was involved in trade since then. Arkas blends his Catholic French origins well with his adopted land, he is now a patriotic Turkish citizen, and above all, he is a true lover of his native town İzmir, and of course the sea. He contributes greatly to the cultural life of İzmir, holding great exhibits of art and archaeological collections at the Arkas Art Center housed in the former French Consulate, to supporting Arkas Trio, Turkey's first and only trio of piano, violin and cello. 

Needless to say, Arkas is enchanted by the sea. As an avid collector of art, he has acquired a considerable collection of seascapes, a topic that attracts him naturally. One can see he is heartfelt when he talks about the sea: "Water is life, water attracts one, water is beautiful; as...