Page 42 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

PAINTING 39

candidness and authenticity, which is
his main strength and attraction.
Among the other artists of the forties,
Habibur Rahman (1912-?) completed
his education from the Kolkata Art
School by the thirties and joined the
printmaking department of the same
institute as a teacher in 1937. Habibur
Rahman displayed a high degree of
proficiency in prints in the woodcut
medium. His skill in arranging light
and shade and carving is exemplified
in Shandhyabhajan (Evening Meal),
Pussy and other compositions which
deserve the attention of art
connoisseurs (fig. 3.7). After 1947, the
artist settled in East Pakistan and spent
the rest of his life teaching at the
College of Arts and Crafts. Shafiqul
Amin (1914-?) was a student of
Kolkata Art School
contemporaneously with Zainul Abedin and he participated in the exhibition of All fig. 1.21 S. M. Sultan,
India Academy of Fine Arts. He worked as a teacher for a long time in the College of Grabbing of Rising Land-
Fine Arts and Crafts; however, later he was not very involved in creative artwork. 2, oil on canvas, 1986

2. The Fifties
In 1947, the Indian subcontinent broke the shackles of subordination and gained
independence; thus, two separate and independent nations India and Pakistan started
their journey. The then East Bengal along with a small portion of Assam was annexed
to the state of Pakistan and was later named East Pakistan. Due to the geographical
distance with the other half of Pakistan and also due to the difference in language and
culture, the literature and fine arts of East Pakistan developed independently in its own
way. In addition, due to the discriminatory and inequitable attitude of the Pakistani
rulers the struggle of the inhabitants of East Bengal for self-development and gaining
political-cultural rights began almost at the same time as the founding of Pakistan.
Thus, in contrast to the religion based state spirit, a resistance to the Pakistani
communal cultural idea and an attempt to reflect native tradition in fine arts could be
observed among the people and cultural workers of this region. Along with that, a
young nation that has just gained independence could create a direct connection with
the whole world, which was not possible within the boundaries of the colonial
regulatory system. For the first time our artists could directly experience western art
through travel and opportunities to receive training. The window to the west that was