Abstract:

The concept of heroism has been the subject of epics, mythological stories, religious narratives and visual arts throughout history. Mankind has revealed the phenomenon of heroism in the face of a number of situations that it could not cope with throughout its existence. It is possible to come across the subject of heroism, which has been handled in different ways in the field of art, in many ways, from mythological hero characters to religious figures, from military heroes to superheroes. Especially the art of painting was inspired by the heroic stories. In the works of many artists, it is possible to find heroic stories from the era they lived in or from earlier times. These stories have been such a source of inspiration that they appear in many areas from ancient vases to ancient inscriptions, monuments, oil paintings, sculptures, and reliefs in architecture. While the first heroes reflected in the history of art were demigods or figures with supernatural power, influenced by mythological stories, religious heroes were depicted with characters consisting of saints, prophets and angels. While soldier heroes, who are thought to be more realist, are depicted on the battlefields, artistic fictions have diversified well with the phenomenon of super heroism. As the most up-to-date heroes, healthcare professionals have also taken their place among the heroic depictions. In this article, historical research technique, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used and a wide literature review was conducted. The aim of the article is to examine how the meaning of the concept of heroism has changed over the ages and as a result, how the hero figures in the works of art affect the depictions. As a result, the concept of heroism has been shaped by the influence of the dominant masculine point of view, belief and social needs in every period, and in this context, the idea of selfless sacrifice in its infrastructure has not changed, even if the characteristics of the characters in general have changed.

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