Weekend Plus
Zainul Abedin, the pioneer figure in art movement
By Md Takir Hossain
Thu, 5 Jan 2006, 10:31:00

Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, the founder of Dhaka Fine Arts Institute (then Dhaka Art College), with his hard labour, intelligence and honesty helped to establish the institute in our country. While some of his students have died, others are alive and maintaining different art colleges, universities, art shops and art galleries. Now we are passing through a delightful time when the works of our painters and artists are being frequently displayed in the reputed galleries of the world.

Many artists are now living with honour in Europe, the USA and other parts of the world. This can be attributed in many ways to Zainul's willpower and endeavours. The young generations who could not enjoy this great artist's works of the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Famine, rural beauty, social structure, figure, natural beauty, tribal life and other contemporary issues. The Great Famine of Bengal in 1943 and the millions of starving people dying by the roadside on their trek to the cities in search of a little bit of food touched his sensitive mind very deeply. He travelled through several parts of Bengal and drew his famous series of famine sketches. When the sketches were first published in the Calcutta daily Swadhinata, Zainul Abedin became known throughout India and the world. As mediums, oil, water, pen, ink, pencil and pastel are used in these paintings.

His eye-catching sketches on the 1943's famine were really much acclaimed in this exposition. In his works he thought it better to synthesise the local traditions with modern international techniques and developments in art. He started to speak in very strong terms in favour of a Bengali modernism in painting. In the Navanna Exhibition of 1970, Zainul Abedin's contribution was a 64-feet scroll very touchingly depicting the story of rural Bangladesh through its phases of abundance of Sonar Bangla and the accompanying happiness and peace, through gradual impoverishment under colonialism to the stage of a pitiable poverty and the outward migration of the rural poor. The scroll was especially painted for the show. He also depicted the 1970 cyclone tragedy in a 31-feet scroll, called Manpura-70.

Akbar Hossain, 71, talked to this writer on his famine sketches. Akbar age was 10 when the famine of 1943 started, "I have been dreaming for a long time to see his sketches of 1943. This year is very significant for me in that for the first time I saw these original sketches. Earlier I had enjoyed viewing some of these very sketches in only books and journals. In real life, I have seen this great master at Calcutta, when I was a student of Calcutta University."

Prominent artist Murtaja Baseer says, "He was not only an artist but also a humanist. We should reach his name and works to the people of our country." From a reliable source, this corespondent came to know that some of Zainul's works that were house in private collections have suffered destruction. Some paintings have also been exported to our neighbouring countries and other parts of the world. Our monitoring is so feeble that profiteers can easily avoid them. This is his twenty-ninth death anniversary. But the government is yet to take adequate initiative to preserve his works and his artifacts. In developed countries, a number of galleries are established to preserve a great artist's works.

Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala is situated in a proper ambience beside the Brahmaputra River. Though the river now become small, during the rainy season the river gets its energy back again. On the occasion of festival, many people came from different parts of the country, including some families with kids. A number of children participated the painting competition from remote areas of the country.

To solemnise the 91st birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh National Museum, Bengal Foundation and different organizations have organized various programmes.


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