Page 416 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

SECOND GENERATION ARTISTS 413

1959) and Mowla Brothers (established in 1961), art adviser of weekly Sachitra
Sandhani (from 1963), art director of ‘Nabangkur’ art publicity (1964), and art adviser
in ‘Nikkon’Advertisers (1965). He also worked as assistant in Syed Shamsul Haque’s
Urdu film Phir Milenge Hum Dono (1965), joint editor of Antaranga magazine
(1967), art editor of English weekly Express and joint editor of a cinema magazine,
Sequence. He was a member of the designing committee of the postal department
(1973), designer of the publications of the Ministry of Foreign affairs (1974), advisor
in the design committee of second and sixth SAF games (1985 and 1993) and art
advisor of Bangla Academy (1995) and was a member of the currency design
committee of Bangladesh Bank (1996). He believed in progressive ideals from his
student life. Though he was never active in any political organization, he was always
united with all humanitarian and democratic movements for the rights of the people
and liberation of this country with his painting and his applied art. He was the joint
convener of the committee formed of artists and artisans during the non-cooperation
movement in 1971.
Artistic Consciousness
As a worthy predecessor of Zainul Abedin and Quamrul Hassan, Qayyum Chowdhury
also possesses patriotism, puts in endless efforts in his own work to express the beauty
and essence of the country and is committed to the folk tradition.
The new trend of good taste and beauty that he has introduced in cover design and
illustration has also influenced his art world, or one may say that the influence is
mutual and his efforts in applied art and his creative artworks complement each other.
In all types of works by Qayyum Chowdhury, the presence of rural Bangladesh is
particularly significant. His favorite subjects are river, sky and earth. When his mind is
distressed during different calamities of the country, he seeks relief in the images of
pastoral life of Bangladesh. Rural life engenders a kind of passion in his inner self that
inspires his creative being to paint the image of that life. This feeling is the source of his
patriotism. That is why his paintings on the Liberation War are also in rural settings.
Zainul Abedin’s deep passion for folk heritage inspired Qayyum Chowdhury’s interest
in folk art. Nandalal Bose’s Haripura Posters, Jamini Roy and Quamrul Hassan’s fig. 9.42 The Sail, oil on
paintings were also the source of his inspiration. In this way, to him folk art becomes canvas, 1963
the place where one can locate our
heritage. He creatively portrayed the
fascinating motifs, colors and language
of folk art in his works. He followed
traditional manuscript paintings,
Kalighat paintings, sakher handi, nakshi
kantha, pakha (hand fan) etc. and the
techniques of their creation. At the same
time, he brought some modern elements
to folk art by analyzing and minimizing