Page 53 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

50 ART AND CRAFTS

adverse circumstances and the contribution of ‘Art Ensemble’ founded at the
beginning of the sixties deserves to be mentioned. The birth of an artist’s association
just two years after an art education institution was founded in Dhaka and the
organizing of a large-scale exhibition is indeed a significant event. It must be
mentioned that paintings were shown in the exhibition of ‘Dhaka Art School’ in lieu
of entrance fees. ‘Art Ensemble’ was deeply involved with the art world of Dhaka
throughout the sixties. Although both these institutions are non-existent now, their
contribution in developing the taste for art in our country is certainly memorable.
The decade of the fifties is significantly important in the history of fine arts in
Bangladesh. Not only was it the introductory period of our institutional art practice
but also a productive period in the attempt to create a modern and unique style of art
through the emergence of a group of very creative and enterprising artists. Their
contribution in giving direction to our contemporary style of art is indeed
memorable. In fact, despite many limitations the surviving artists of the fifties are
still established in our realm of art as leading artists. 35
3. The Sixties
From the end of the fifties and throughout the sixties, military autocracy appeared
and began to develop in the political sphere of Pakistan. Military rule was in force
in Pakistan during most of this period and the fundamental rights of the people and
the democratic system was ruthlessly subdued. The autocratic military government
was very wrathful, particularly towards the rightful demands of the people of East
Pakistan and took the policy of terming any movement as a plot against the state
and applying force to deal with it was adopted by them. A large number of
progressive political and cultural workers were incarcerated for a long time. The
activities of the cultural world became subdued due to state obstruction and
harassment. From the latter half of the sixties, public opinion against military
autocracy started to become stronger and the barrenness continued in cultural
activities until this public opinion created a spirit of resistance within cultural
activities. The joy of freedom during the fifties in a country that has just gained
independence, the dream of joining the mainstream of the world that became
intensified through a burning youthful passion, diminished due to the reality of
dreams gone wrong during the sixties, hope and vitality was replaced with despair
and weariness. Even in the political domain, a great portion of the educated society
was attracted to progressive politics during the fifties and this created a significant
influence in the world of art and culture and generated optimism; this tide waned
during the sixties. The vitality in the domain of art and culture also became a lot
weaker; self-centeredness became more important than collective activities, artists
began to withdraw within themselves. Once the mass movement of sixty-nine
stirred the whole nation another wave of change began to form.
In visual arts, i.e. painting and sculpture, the signs of variety in the sixties were less
compared to that of the fifties. Throughout the sixties the key theme in the art of this