The sculpture depicts Atatürk standing and looking forward. His left arm is open and extended slightly backwards and down beside him with his hand at about hip-height; which is open and has the fingers spread out. His right hand is closed and over his heart in the middle of his chest.
The sculpture was 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall and was made of bronze.[1]
Through the sculpture Gürdal Duyar tells a story of the many legendary events during the national struggle of the Kuva-yi Milliye in Burhaniye during the Turkish War of Independence. It is noted that tourists would often take a break at the sculpture and take photos of it. The sculpture became loved by many people of Burhaniye. One of these people was an old gardener who brought back seeds from The Netherlands and planted red, pink, marbled and white poppies that surpassed knee height.[2] Poppies are also symbolic as a flower to remember the dead of war with.
History
The sculpture was to be erected in Edremit, Burhaniye.[3] The area where the sculpture was to be erected was designed by E. Demirok.[1] The sculpture was inaugurated in 1967.[4][3]
A monument to Borazan İsmail and Kadir Efe, which consists of a revolver and a bugle, is in front of Gürdal Duyar's Atatürk Monument. This monument is still there in the present day. The Atatürk Monument however was at some point, at least later than 1974, removed with a bulldozer. A bulldozer came, broke the feet of the sculpture and brought it away. To this day it is unknown where it is.[2]
Elibal, Gültekin (1973). Atatürk ve Resim - Heykel [Atatürk and Painting – Sculpture] (in Turkish) (1st ed.). Istanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
