in a futile attempt to attain a style and European character； we will still fail—
just as I failed in making this self…portrait despite all my proficiency and
knowledge。 This primitive picture I’ve made； without even achieving a fair
resemblance of myself； revealed to me what we’ve know all along without
admitting it： The proficiency of the Franks will take centuries to attain。 Had
Enishte Effendi’s book been pleted and sent to them； the Veian
masters would’ve smirked； and their ridicule would’ve reached the Veian
Doge—that is all。 They’d have quipped that the Ottomans have given up being
Ottoman and would no longer fear us。 How wonderful it would be if we could
persist on the path of the old masters！ But no one wants this； neither His
Excellency Our Sultan； nor Black Effendi—who is melancholy because he has
no portrait of his precious Shekure。 In that case； sit yourselves down and do
nothing but ape the Europeans century after century！ Proudly sign your
names to your imitation paintings。 The old masters of Herat tried to depict the
world the way God saw it； and to conceal their individuality they never signed
their names。 You； however； are condemned to signing your names to conceal
your lack of individuality。 But there is an alternative。 Each of you has perhaps
been