Master Bangladeshi painter SM Sultan was born in 1923 in Masimdia, Narail district. After only five years of schooling in Victoria Collegiate School in Narail, he joined his father to work as a mason.
A bohemian and mystic, Sultan works delve deep into rural life, especially peasants, fishermen, day labourers and their simple lives. His works articulate lives of the working class people in a way that had not been done before.
Today marks the 89th birth anniversary of SM Sultan.
Sultan’s paintings depict farmers busy harvesting or ploughing the field. Tiny huts and villages are also seen in the paintings. Sultan was mainly recognised for his depiction of rural beauty and villagers — their struggles and their way of life. The human forms are robust and powerful and represent the hard working people in villages.
About him, artist Samarjit Roy Chowdhury said, “Sultan was not only a globally renowned artist but also a philanthropist. When I was admitted to Dhaka Art College (now Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) in 1955, the college was in Segun Bagicha and Sultan lived in a tiny room behind the college. He frequently visited the institute. He always had a flute with him. One day, surprisingly, he came to our college in a white sari. In the 1950s and ’60s, I came across many articles on him in several English newspapers and journals published from West Pakistan. He had the rare ability to quickly become the centre of attention at any social and cultural gathering.”
Artist Abdus Shakoor Shah said, “On a first look at Sultan’s artworks, one gets the impression of power and strength. His canvas is large, like a stage where life’s dramas are played out. The painter presented human figures which symbolically suggest the possibility of a dream rather than reality.”
Mohammad Iqbal, Assistant Professor of Drawing and Painting Department, Faculty of fine Arts, said, “A bachelor, Sultan stayed in an abandoned building, in the pastoral environment of Narail. There he lived with an adopted family and pets. He had a great fascination for both domestic and wild animals. He would later build a mini-zoo at his home.”
Sultan received the Ekushey Padak, Swadhinata Padak, Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Padak and other prestigious awards.
The master painter died in 1994.
-With The Daily Star input
