Page 65 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

62 ART AND CRAFTS

intellectual perspective rather than emotion with respect to giving place to tradition
and heritage in art and whereas earlier artists mainly used the external motifs of
tradition in a visually decorative way, the eighties’ artist took style, colors etc. from
tradition and attempted to apply them in modern context. The light jest and humor that
is used in the modes of our traditional art was never accepted in the modern
institutional practice of art. Our modern art has always been serious and grave. In this
context, a few artists of the eighties have displayed an exceptional perspective.
Symbolic suggestions under the guise of jest and humor, subtle mockery and light
affectation disguising double meaning were expressed in their works. The various
post-modern western techniques are finding their place in our art to an even greater
extent. The use of various mixed medium is increasing just as variety in materials is
extending. Though abstraction remained as a prominent style, other various post-
modern styles of western art also had some influences– for example the initiation of
Conceptual Art, especially installation artworks. Many artists of the eighties have
represented the social and political context in their own style in which an intellectual
attempt to synthesize various elements of east and west is noticeable.
Many artists of the eighties created their own original pictorial language, yet others
were occupied with experimentation in style and were at a stage of development. The
original characteristic of many artists did not yet manifest themselves with distinctive
qualities and they were also moving from one style to another. Nevertheless, during
this decade, we find a number of painters who already have drawn the attention of the
art world through their creative talent and forceful manner of expression and they
became significant in the contemporary art world of Bangladesh. Noteworthy among
the painters of the eighties are Ranjit Das (1956-), Kazi Rakib (1955-), Jamal Ahmed
(1955-), Mohammad Eunus (1954-), Tarun Ghosh (1954-), Shahadat Hussain (1955-),
Ruhul Amin Kajol (1956-), G. S. Kabir (1960-), Dhali Al Mamoon (1958-), Nasreen
Begum (1956-), Rokeya Sultana (1958-), Shishir Bhattacharjee (1960-), Mominul
Reza (1953-), Nisar Hossain (1961-), Nazlee Laila Mansur (1952-), Dilara Begum
Jolly (1960-), Sheikh Afzal (1960-), Niloofar Chaman (1962-), Atia Islam Anne
(1962-) and many others.
Ranjit Das wished to create the image of urban scenery in the Abstract Expressionistic
style in his first phase. In an impasto of a thick paintbrush with very rapid vertical,
horizontal and angular strokes, he created an immediate image of urban buildings,
lanes and by-lanes. In the subsequent phase, after dwelling in abstraction for a while,
he divided the canvas in geometric arrangements and created fragmented images by
placing various partial representations of the human body. Thus, he wants to reflect the
distress and agony of the life of contemporary humankind through hints and symbols.
His skilful use of oil paints, manifestation of various textures and lines on the surface
creates a sensitive pictorial plane (pl. 1.29).
Kazi Rakib, has worked in various styles and in various media. It is not possible to
identify him through any particular characteristic. As media he has used oil painting,