::: Star Weekend Magazine :::

Art

A Medley of Eager Young Minds

Fayza Haq

A.H. Dhali, Cityscape-2009, Pen & Ink

Meeting up with the five young artists who are currently having a joint exhibition at Shilpangan, one comes across the sheer diversity of style and content that they bring to the art scene.

Hafizzuddin Babu, for instance, does water-colour, oils and mixed media, bringing in Bangladeshi landscapes. He does commercial work too such as murals and terra-cotta , as in the case of the portrait of Nazrul Islam, constructed from broken tiles, at the corner of Shahbagh.

Dhali Tomal has a unique presentation of the open sky in the city. The sky appears to be held up with electric wires and suggestions of tops of houses. Tiny flying birds are included at one end. Although simply done in black and white the sketched up sky has its own mystery.

Safin Omar's blue and brown buffaloes in mixed media presents these peacefully grazing animals in a field of brown and yellow, with crows resting on their horns and some flying over them. Long streaks of blue, mauve and pale mauve hold up the sky and form the placid river.

Hafiz Uddin (Babu), Parapar-2009,Water color

Babu takes pride in his teachers, like Rafiqun Nabi, Jamal Ahmed and Abdul Basset. What he enjoyed best in his academic life was the outdoor landscapes for which he went to places like Kamrangir Chor, Keraniganj, Tangail and Rangamati. Babu developed his oils from photographs and sketches, if his patrons asked for them. His family, specially his father, who worked in the administration of the Institute of Fine Arts, encouraged him in his work. He has sent his works to UK and the US. Some of the embassies have bought up his paintings too such as that of Norway, the Netherlands and the US.

"In Bangladesh, I naturally admire Zainul Abedin, Mohammed Kibria, and Shahabuddin. Among the artists from overseas, I am greatly moved by Rembrandt and Picasso. My own work I do both outdoors and in my studio at home," says Babu. "What I enjoy painting best are subjects like rivers, skies and boats, being influenced by my childhood days in my village home."

Shaikh Mehdi Kamal enjoys doing figurative work, dealing with subjects around him, such as the "baul", village maidens and the mothers figure, using models quite often, and combining them with cubism. He brings in birds too, which symbolises freedom. Before his paintings on canvas, he makes sketches on paper. He does his paintings one at a time, sometimes adding touches later on, while working on others. Mehdi, who enjoys all the mediums, is inspired by Zainul Abedin and Rafiqun Nabi, whose line work and watercolours he admires greatly. Monirul Islam is another favourite of his.

Shah Mainul Islam, who has joined the group of the young aspirants, says," I enjoy doing landscapes but get a thrill out of bringing out the emotions of my subjects in my portraits. I've studied both in Chittagong and in Dhaka. I've been in service for18 years. I've done the monument on Liberation Movement at Gaibandha. My work is a combination of figurative and abstract.” Mainul, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin are masters of the past to be admired. His teachers like Moron Chand Pal and Shamsul Islam Nizami have left indelible marks on his mind. He is currently doing a series of work on the Liberation War, which he hopes to display in the near future.

L-R: Md. Safin Omar, Buffalow-2009, Mixed Media and Sha Mainul Islam, Composition-2008,Acrylic on canvas

Dhali Tomal, who is also into landscapes, is inspired by his surroundings in Mymensingh, where he studied in the beginning. Works in prints, specially the engravings by Shafiuddin Ahmed, touched him most of all. English painters, like Constable and Turner, masters of landscapes also influenced him. At present he teaches at UDA, and has contributed prints and pen sketches to the exhibition.

Mohammed Safin Omar goes in for both landscape and figurative work, attempting to bring in new directions in the academic work that he had been taught. "I've never bothered about outcomes of sale. I've tried my best to express myself, keeping in mind that the viewer is ready to accept what I 'd like to show, "says Safin. Among others, US painter Andrew Wyeth has impressed him greatly.

Sk. Mehedi Kamal, Tow Faces-2009, Acrylic on paper

The two female faces in Mehdi Kamal's acrylic on paper fascinate one for their statuesque features. These portraits are done in streaks and lines curls. Deep blues merge with earthy colours and are set off by white and black lines. Mainul Islam's gold and white composition with flowers have the elements of nature dancing on their own. Flat red and black form the backdrop.