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Art - Art Extravaganza

Art Extravaganza

Fayza Haq

(Top Left) Abdur Razzaque-Blue and White (Top Right) Quamrul Hassan-Prayer-1 (Bottom) Safiuddin Ahmed-Flood

Saju's collections during group exhibitions at his gallery at Gulshan have always been breathtaking. A collector for decades, Saju manages to cull the best of the masters, seniors and promising young artists. Lasting till May 12, the ongoing display presents 169 works of renowned painters like Zainul Abedin and Safiuddin Ahmed and also includes works of upcoming artists, like Rebeka Sultana and Onukul Mojumdar.

Zainul Abedin's famous sketch of the Famine of Bengal takes its pride of place. Along with it is the blue, black and white print by Safiuddin Ahmed, recalling the many overwhelming floods in our past. Singing of the achievements and glory of the rural Bengal is SM Sultan's "Village Way" which is visibly bursting with the colours of life. Qamrul Hasan's sketch of the seated devout and Mohammed Kibria's untitled are equally unsurpassable.

Abdus Shakoor Shah's "Story of Mohua" has a gathering of gossiping village women, done in simple lines, curves and dots. Bright flower bursts and Bangla calligraphy in red on saffron complete the creation that goes back to our ethnic roots. A painted clay horse, strutting and chirping black birds and trees with green fleshy leaves are found in Qayyum Chowdhury's vibrant piece "Essence from Nature". Lines, circles, and endless geometrical forms in orange and yellow, set off by touches of blue form Samarit Roy Chowdhury's "Democracy".

Kalidas Karmakar 's "Alluvial Diary" contains musical notes that he recollects, which used to swirl into his study by night, when he worked in his studio in the US. This is a combination of print and painting, in fascinating combination of blues and reds. Equally enchanting is "Reflection" by Monirul Islam in which pearly blues and opalescent white merge with strokes of cadmium yellow to bring in suggested forms in the distance. Rafiqun Nabi's "Waterfall" has delicate sketched in figures of men and boats seen against slabs of purple and green that suggest tall, foliage-covered rocks in the backdrop. Gliding bars of gold and blue, along with hints of yellow, outlined with black bring in the vision of resting boats at sunset in Syed Jahangir's "Rest".

Gholam Sarwar's copper and black creation presents a buxom woman holding on to her chubby, playful child against a burnt coffee coloured backdrop. A gorgeous delineation of an eastern beauty is seen in Abdus Satter's "Remember". Her sensuous features are complimented with flowing brown hair. Sweeps of brown and purple along with an expanse of beige brings in a vast expanse of a sea beach in Hamiduzzaman's landscape. Dancing lilies, held in a dark blue jug is a remarkable still life by Shahid Kabir, who is noted for discovering the beauty of the simple things in life.

Rokeya Sultana's "Untitled" has all the exotic wealth of underwater life in the form of sea-shells of all shapes and sizes. Priests in saffron robes usher in a moment of tranquillity in the shades of yellow and orange found in Kanak Chanpa Chakma's "Outside of bondage". Kanak's present preoccupation with Buddhist priests wins her enthusiasts both at home and abroad. One is also overwhelmed by the shades of turquoise blue found in Biren Shome's "Blue-2".


(Top) Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin-Famine Sketch (Bottom) Shamsudduha-Attraction

"Lady with orchid" by Nasreen Begum presents a sophisticated beauty in a simple maroon sari with a yellow border. Farida Zaman's "Sufia with love" is an amazing composition in red, bringing in a fisherwoman , surrounded by yellow and green birds. Homage to the attraction of the simple, uncomplicated features of our women is also seen in Afzal Sheikh's "Composition". The subject of Nazib Mohammad's "Waiting" is yet another portrayal of the seductive female form. Here a woman is seen against the backdrop of a forest-- with its trees, shrubs -- and a nearby anchored boat.

The attraction of the innocent face of a child is there for all time in Md. Iqbal's "Unknown face". Goutam Chakrabarty's "Beckoning youth" has a radiant figure enveloped in gigantic banana leaves in shades of basic blue, green and yellow, and harks back to the innocent days of the past. The pony-tailed dancing figure in blue along with the circular spheres in Rafi Haque's untitled piece is also eye-catching. If one asked for abstraction, there was Wakilur Rahman's "Pages" in shades of white, beige and flecks of black.

Boats, birds, angels, exotic plants and female forms are there in a splendid display of shades of brown and beige in Amirul Monenin Chowdhury's "Nuhash". The effect is that of a modern tapestry. A unique and quaint combination of exotic flowers is seen in "Attraction" by Shamsudhoha. Ivy Zaman's "Kagra Churi" is an impressionistic creation of subtle splashes that brings in lakes and hills. Celebration time for uncomplicated villagers is presented in the endless brown swirls in Anukul Majumdar's "Heart Song".

The woman in blue, with sharp features and delicate hand, is seen holding on to a white blossom in Rebeka Sultana's exotic "Girl with a flower." The delicate feathered pets, in white and pink, seen in Azizul Islam's "Pigeons" also have an eye for the decorative. Nurul Amin's "Buriganga" stirs up our imagination about Dhaka's past, with centuries old architecture in the backdrop and speed in boats and barges in front.

Portrait, landscape, still-life, nature -- all are found in this cornucopia of oils, acrylic and water-colour in Saju's impeccable collection.