He was known for his ability to capture the scene in front of him whether from old Cairo or Pharaonic Egypt in a most exquisite way, with balanced, well studied effects of shadow and light.
Unfortunately very little is known in Egypt about Hidayet the great Turkish painter and watercolorist. Our current knowledge of Hidayet is that he was of Turkish origin and studied art in England with a special interest in watercolor. In the early 1920s he came to Egypt via Palestine to cure himself from rheumatic fever, remaining in Egypt until his death. It is said that it was the light of Egypt that gave Hidayet the incentive to practice his art. He produced hundreds or thousands of Nilotic sceneries and landscapes of the countryside as well as his recording of ancient Egyptian relics from Luxor, Aswan and all across Upper Egypt.
Hidayet was known to be the painter of the royal family and the upper Egyptian aristocracy. He became quite popular and was often commissioned to produce special paintings whether oil or watercolors with definite subjects. He also recorded the activities of high society of the Gezira club which was frequented by the aristocracy. Hidayet’s watercolor works have been suggested as being the best watercolours in the history of Egyptian art. He was known for his ability to capture the scene in front of him whether from old Cairo or Pharaonic Egypt in a most exquisite way, with balanced, well studied effects of shadow and light.
Hidayet had a school in his downtown apartment where he taught art. One of his pupils that remained close to him was the late artist Fatma Refaat. It was Refaat who discovered that he had passed, alone in his apartment. Refaat immediately contacted the Turkish Embassy to take the necessary steps as Hidayet had lived alone with no family. The Turkish Embassy in Cairo now holds a large collection of Hidayet’s works.