The ongoing exhibition at the National Museum provides a great opportunity to the art lovers to watch art works by three master artists in the history of Bangladeshi art together in a row.
A total of 82 artworks by Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Patua Quamrul Hassan and SM Sultan, from the collection of the museum, are on display at Nalini Kanta Bhattashali Gallery of the museum. An expert committee selected the art works to exhibit as a part of the ongoing Asian Art Biennale.
The paintings on display demonstrate the distinctive styles of the maestros and significant changes in their thought process as well. A common feature of the exhibition is that most of the art works by the great painters depict vibrant pictures of rural life and the country’s socio political issues through their distinctive styles, compositions and mediums.
35 artworks by Zainul, both the well known and little known paintings and drawings are on display. A huge figurative painting (244X99 cm) done with oil on canvas medium titled ‘Returning’ captures a realistic image of the serenity in the dusk when the cowboys return home with cattle.
Zainul is considered a master of watercolour medium for his perfection of the use of lines and colours in the medium to depict lush greenery, riverine beauty and human images realistically. Popular paintings done in the medium such as ‘Towing’, ‘Gypsy Boats’, ‘Storm in Boishakh’, ‘Beauty Regime’ and ‘Two Sisters’ on display testimony his calibre in watercolour.
Three celebrated sketches done with blank ink featuring the great famine under the “Famine Sketches” series are also on display. Zainul drew the attention of the art lovers across the world with this series done in 1943.
Zailnul’s expertise in sketch works were so great that he could even create the realistic image of the devastating cyclone and its impact on man and animals through the medium. A few of such sketches such as ‘Cow in the Storm’ are also on display.
Few people know about those paintings of Zainul which features war scenes. Few such paintings are in the exhibition featuring the freedom fighters of the War of Independence and a battle scene in front of the bamboo fort of Titumeer.
Perhaps the Shilpacharya was an admirer of Moulana Bhashani. A huge painting on display at the exhibition features a big portrait of the leader and people surrounding seeking guideline from him.
Quamrul Hassan was also a great figurative painter however, his style and theme was different from the Shilpacharya’s. Quamrul is known as the Patua for his unique style of reviving the traditional art elements in his paintings almost through all mediums such as oil, watercolours, poster colour, pastel, etching, woodcut and others.
A total of 28 paintings by Quamrul Hassan are on display at the exhibition, most of which feature interrelation between woman and nature, a favourite topic of the artist. Using vibrant colours, romantic Quamrul Hassan has presented realistic images of the rural women in midst of nature in his paintings on display such as ‘Women of Bangla,’ and ‘Bride and Bathing.’
In his paintings, Patua Quamrul has followed the style of traditional nakshi kantha, especially while depicting rural elements like trees, snakes, birds, owls, jackals, fish and animals. At least seven such paintings are display.
Quamrul drew the attention of the masses for his caricatures of the war criminals in the War of Independence and for staring autocratic ruler Ershad. Three huge paintings under the ‘Bangladesh 1971’ series featuring the massacres done by the Pakistani on the ordinary people are on display. Two more untitled compositions also feature the war.
Huge oil on canvas painting (173.5X109.5) titled ‘Inauguration of the Devil Deaths’ shows the torture the masses faced to protest the rule of military dictatorship in 1983. Three more oil paintings portray the military dictatorship symbolically through the distorted human forms on red and black canvases. There is also a mixed medium work, where Quamrul Hassan expressed his sympathy for sufferers of famine of 1974 though woodcuts on paper with black background.
Compared to Zainul and Quamrul, SM Sultan has been given less space at the exhibition, though Sultan is ranked amongst the world masters for his unique expression of portraying divinity as well as the inner strength of human soul through muscular figures as done by the world masters such as Michel Angelo.
Only one such painting are on display titled ‘Harvesting’ (117X90 cm), oil on sack cloth, depicts four strongly muscled peasants harvesting in a vibrant rural ambience. The colour composition and delicate brush works on the painting have created a heavenly atmosphere in the artwork.
The exhibition also offers some rare watercolour paintings by Sultan done in his early days, presenting the serenity of the rural landscapes. There are also seven sketches by Sultan done in his early days. Though they feature similar themes, namely the rural people, these images don’t match with Sultan’s later works with oil on canvas medium.
The month-long exhibition will end on November 6.
