Ara Güler Arşiv Serisi - Renkli İstanbul

'' In Ara Güler's photographs of Istanbul, one can discern the existence of a powerful love relationship - the use a somewhat hackneyed phrase - between the photographer (Ara Güler) and the subject being photographer (Ara Güler) and the subject being photographed (Istanbul). On closer examination, however, we will see that there is a great deal more to this relationship than just love and affection: Ara Güler looks on the city in which he was born and bred not only with these feelings, but also with passion, with a jealous possesivennes, even with anger - and at the same time with sympathy, compassion and an intense longing sparked off by his memories. He is determined not just to cherish every moment of experience, but also to capture everything contained within it - every single ray of light - with a caring meticulousness that does not permit a single detail to pass unnoticed. The photograph express, in its totality, the complex relationship between the city - Istanbul - and Ara Güler.'' Memet Baydur

Kıyıda, iskeledeki çocuklar, Haliç’in kayıkçıları her birini isimleriyle ezberlediğimiz şehir hatları vapurları, tepelerden koşa koşa indiğimiz Haliç’teki vapurlar kadar Boğaz’ın vapurları, Galata Köprüsü ahvali ve denizin oradan görünümü, kalafat yerleri, çımacılar, denizi seyreden başıboşlar, çarşı izni alan bahriyeliler… Aziz İstanbul, senin ne olduğunu sadece şairlerden değil, Ara Güler gibi üstadlardan da öğreniyoruz. Hiçbir kalıntı, hiçbir eser bizim neslin İstanbul’unu Ara Güler kadar iyi öğretemez. İlber Ortaylı