Page 182 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

PRINTMAKING 179

engravings of this stage follow the heritage of the European tradition. Safiuddin
Ahmed’s medium had changed at different stages of his practice. We can divide it into
two parts, the Kolkata period and the Dhaka period. In the Kolkata period the majority
of his pictures are landscapes executed in the realistic method, man too has been added
to the landscapes. He features captivating scenes of the Santal Parganas in his work,
with skilful hands the landscape of places like Dumka, Mayuraskshi etc. are
represented in his prints. Some of the prints of this period are Santal Women (1946)
wood engraving, On the Way to the Fair (1947) wood engraving, Dumka (1945)
drypoint, Homeward Bound (1944) wood engraving. In these instances he has used the
wood engraving, drypoint and etching aquatint methods. In the Dhaka period with the
change in the character of his pictures a new diversity is seen in his media also. By this
time various changes also took place in the global sphere of the pictorial arts. Those
changes also touched Safiuddin’s works. In the Dhaka period we do not see many wood
engravings, notable rather is the dominance of soft-ground aquatint, etching aquatint,
engraving and other media. Combining the various media of printmaking he became
involved in experimentation as in Receding Flood (1959) softground aquatint, Fishing
Time (1957) etchings aquatint, Flood (1959) aquatint. In this period he introduced a
somewhat design-oriented method instead of a completely realistic style. In these prints
men, nature and all else is recognizable but in geometric shapes. In 1958 he went to
London for higher education in the print medium; he received training on the subjects
of etching and engraving from the famous Central School of Arts and Crafts of
London. After returning from England there was a change in the direction of his work
and there was also change in media as he started metal engravings. The picture Towing
Rope (1958) can be cited as an example. The three pictures done in 1964, Fishing Net,
Angry Fish and Blue Water are executed in the etching aquatint medium. A difference
is perceivable in these pictures. Through the deep bite of acid he projected the
intensity of feeling of the line. In the line-based, colorful abstract pictures he has
applied his craftsmanship skills as well as creating a novel aesthetic beauty. He later
created quite a number of prints through the deep etch process. Sound of Water in 1985
also has special characteristics. In the end we can say that from the very beginning of
his artistic life to the present he has experimented in the various media of printmaking
and has dedicated himself to the development of this medium (pl. 3.1).
Habibur Rahman was born in 1912. He completed his education in fine arts in 1936
from the Kolkata Government School of Art. In 1937 he joined as a teacher at the same
school. In 1947 after the partition of the country he came to East Pakistan. In 1948 he
joined the Government Institute of Art established in Dhaka as a teacher of woodcut.
Not much is known about his life as an artist. Proof of his participation is found in an
exhibition featuring works of 16 teachers held in 1956 of the then East Pakistan
College of Arts and Crafts. In the catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibition
two of his woodcuts were printed. The names of the two pictures are Evening Meal and
Pussy (fig.3.7). Both of these are pictures of animals and done in the realistic method.
Mohammad Kibria is well known as an artist devoted to the printmaking medium. He
obtained his degree in Fine Arts in 1950 from the Calcutta Government College of Art and