Page 58 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

PAINTING 55

training. In 1969, Monirul Islam went
to the University of Madrid for
advanced training in art upon
receiving a scholarship from the
Spanish Government and after
completing his studies he settled
permanently in Spain. Among
Bangladeshi artists, Monirul Islam has
possibly earned the greatest
international renown and acclaim and
his dexterity in the technique of
printmaking has made him one of the
leading artists in this medium. During
the period of 1966-69, he became
recognized first as a skilled watercolor
artist, and later he became engaged in
experimental paintings in oil painting
in the Impressionist style. The life of
the bede (Nomadic boat dwellers), boats, nature etc. were his main subjects. He fig. 1.31 Monirul Islam,
encountered various modern methods of art when he went to the University of Madrid Air Journey, watercolor,
for training and his interest in varied subjects grew. Here he obtained advanced 2001
training first in mural painting and then in printmaking. Monirul Islam progressed
towards his maturity slowly and step by step. Although he is chiefly a printmaker, his
achievements in painting are also mentionable. Later Monirul Islam progressed
towards reducing association with reality from his picture plane, towards limiting such
connections through delicate lines and self created symbols (pl. 1.31). Along with this,
he has added Bengali calligraphy in some of his works. In his most recent works in the
etching and aquatint medium, he has completely exiled objects from his pictorial
surface and his artworks have gradually become a joyous and aesthetic expression
through the combination of subtle sensitive lines, spontaneous application of colors,
irregular strokes of the brush and spots of colors.
Among the artists who have attracted the attention of art connoisseurs during the first
half of the seventies through their original creativity are Shahid Kabir (1947- ),
Mansur ul Karim (1950- ), Chandra Shekhar Dey (1952- ), Hashi Chakraborty (1948- ),
Kazi Ghiyas (1951- ), Swapan Choudhury (1948- ), Kalidas Karmakar (1946- ) and
many others.
From 1975 to 1980, Shahid Kabir created paintings in tempera in the ornamental style
of miniature paintings. With his thoughts on painting was added mystical spirituality
to some extent, the crisis of human existence to some degree, the thought of death and
the language of protest to a certain degree. He created his own world by combining
popular belief, tradition and the fantasy world. His picture plane is composed of a well