At 83, renowned artist Murtaja Baseer is still exploring realms of arts. He is busy trying his hands on new styles and reworking on his signature styles. The distinguished, veteran artist’s ongoing solo exhibition at Gallery Kaya at Uttara testifies to his unwavering commitment to art. Titled ‘A Collection of Drawings, Collages and Oil Pastels’, the exhibition is indeed a sort of retrospective of the artist, showcasing works done over an astonishing career of sixty years (1954-2014).
Murtaja Baseer’s academic background is formidable too. A graduate of fine arts from the then Government Institute of Arts in Dhaka, Baseer attended an art appreciation course at Asutosh Museum, University of Calcutta. Later, he moved to Academia di Belli- arti, Florence, Italy to attend courses on Painting and Fresco, then in Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux- arts, Paris, France to learn Mosaic and Academie Goetz, Paris to learn Etching and Aquatint.
These vast and diverse mediums of fine arts that Baseer learnt have their imprints on his works which eventually led the artist to create his own signature style. Baseer’s works reflect the styles of Byzantine and early-Renaissance paintings, cubic styles and others.
In the present exhibition, there are 46 artworks in different mediums and genres. The recently done series titled Review, in oil pastel on canvas, explores predominantly the uniqueness of Bangladeshi women. The series portrays women from different social classes. The lines and balanced use of colours, prominent eyes of the women in the paintings are really arresting.
In the works done in 1990-91, there is also a series on Women. But the presentation of women there, is quite different as Baseer presented more of the derogation of sense and sensibility in women than their beauty in those works.
Other works of this period show Baseer’s socio-political commitment and awareness. In series works titled No More War, the artist makes his stance against the then ongoing war in Iraq, against any war in fact. These works tend to be what is called abstract realism.
Other works of this style, that is abstract realism, are soft and deal with beauty in general. Works like Dream, Birth of Venus-Homage to Botticelli demand attention.
Last, but not the least, there are some pen drawings done in the fifties and in recent times which add to the richness of the exhibition.
Inaugurated on September 12, the exhibition will be open for all from 11am to 8pm till September 25.
-With New Age input
