Page 215 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

212 ART AND CRAFTS

Kanya still amazes us with its originality and spirit of Bengal. Other
examples of Zainul’s works are Jasimuddin’s Nakshi Kanthar Math
(pl. 4.10), Rongila Nayer Majhi, Beder Meye, Palli Bodhu, Ganger
Par, Padmapar, Matir Kana, Ahsan Habib’s Ratri Sheshen, and
Bulbul Chowdhury’s Prachi etc. he did many covers of magazines.
We can observe in Zainul’s cover illustration elements of local and
rural life, which reminds us of the traditional Bengal. Through these
he proved himself not only an artist but also original and successful
as an illustrator.
He supervised the drawing and illustration of the hand-written version
of the Constitution of Bangladesh. One of his sketches at the end of
every chapter of the Constitution gave it special value. A nakshi
kantha from his own collection was printed on the flyleaf with his
enthusiasm. Those who accompanied him in this historical work were
A.K.M. Abdur Rouf, Hashem Khan in design, Zunabul Islam,
Samarjit Roy Choudhury and Abul Barq Alvi in illustration. 46
Quamrul Hassan is another powerful artist from Bangladesh. An
enthusiast in different aspects of graphic design, he showed
uniqueness in cover design and illustration (fig. 4.17). It can be said
in the context of Bangladesh, his role is that of a pioneer in
illustration. Quamrul Hassan got his art education from Calcutta
Government Art School and after partition, he came back to Dhaka and helped Zainul
Abedin set up an art institution. In the 50s and 60s, using the limited scope of printing
in the age of the block, he created amazing covers and illustrations. Numerous
examples of his sketches and drawings are scattered in periodicals. We find samples
of his work in Badruddin Umar’s Purba Banglay Sangskritik Sankat, Abdul Gani
Hajari’s Samanyo Dhon, Habibur Rahman’s Upatto, Akhtaruzzaman Elias’
Dudhebhate Utpat and a few books of rhymes by Faiz Ahmad. The principal
characteristic of Quamrul Hassan’s cover and
illustration design is the use of lines and
primary colors. The close contact with local art
seen in his paintings is also reflected in his
covers and illustrations. His very own
fig. 4.17 (top) Quamrul technique of line drawing and faithfulness to
Hassan, illustration from indigenous art gave a new dimension to cover
the book The Prince of and illustration art.
Peace published from For more than half a century, the person who
Burma, 1957
kept the publication industry of Bangladesh
moving with innovative illustration and cover
fig. 4.18 (bottom)
Qayyum Chowdhury, design, through the sole identity of a book
book cover illustrator, is Qayyum Chowdhury (fig. 4.18).