The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Slow by steadily, Ranjit Das has carved out his niche among the new generation painters in Asia. Winning the Best Prize in the Asian Biennial gave the imprimatur of international standing but promises of a talented creative mind were revealed in his works much before that milestone. Painting has been a painstaking and committed creative exploration for Ranjit as he has groped for perfection in conceptualising and execution in various mediums and techniques. Starting with abstraction in forms and composition in paintings he gradually divided the space between abstract forms and concrete almost like graphic design. Not content with what fascinated and absorbed him in this phase he turned the composition upside down, making the concrete stand out vibrantly as in bold relief with a background of pulsating colours and minute motifs," said eminent art critic Hasnat Abdul Hye at solo art exhibition of Ranjit Das titled 'Symphony in Drawing' at the Shilpangan Gallery in the capital.

The exhibition of Ranjit Das has acrylic and washes in watercolour, apart from Chinese colour and ink and charcoal. Collage and mixed media have been used as well.

In the exhibition, Ranjit's subject, over the years, has been lyrical depiction of man and his environment. This time, along with careful portraits with quick strokes, he has brought in domestic animals like as bulls, horses, dogs, goats anf sheep. Which he comes across during his frequent visits to his village.

The beauty of the drawings was the economy of strokes and the powerful lines.

'Bauls' with 'Dhol' and 'Dotara,' apparently in dream, have been depicted. Other subjects include women, casually fixing their hair or tending to their young ones adhering to their breasts.

Ranjit said, "Starting from 2002, all subjects in my paintings have their origin in the rural areas."

Men smoking 'Hukkah,' women plaiting their neighbour's hair, individuals in 'Burqa' and others sporting goggles, some crossing the ferry were typical of his subjects.

One of the works has a vibrant golden background with marked, silver dots for texture. The mother and the child figures have been done with watercolour and they too have minimal strokes. The impact was dramatic and daring.

A blind 'Baul' singer, who sometimes comes to Dhaka, has been immortalised in Ranjit's lines and colours. The lonely figure of a gloomy woman, wrapped in thoughts of her own, has been presented effectively too.

The landscapes depict boats, launches, the riverbanks, along with bold sweeps bringing in the horizon and the river. These were done in deft charcoal lines.

Before going to school, as a child, Ranjit used to draw on walls and the floor with charcoal. Having done his BFA from Dhaka, he finished his Masters from Baroda, studying under KG Subramanian.

Ranjit said that Sunil Das and Monirul Islam have inspired him too. At the Institute of Fine Arts, he had Anwarul Haq, Abdul Baset and Rafiqun Nabi as his guides. M Kibria and Safiuddin Ahmed have also been his mentors.

Ranjit has had 19 solo exhibitions in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi in India, Montreal in Canada and Karachi in Pakistan. He has taken part in 75 joint exhibitions in India, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, USA, Bulgaria, France, Kuwait and Qatar. He has ten awards to his credit, including the Grand Award in the 7th Asian Biennale (1995).

This is his first solo exhibition in Bangladesh in four years, as he was busy working on his exhibitions in India - at the National Art Gallery in New Delhi, Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai and ICCR Gallery in Hyderabad.

"It is important for an artist to get exposure abroad, so that art enthusiasts worldwide are aware of the quality of Bangladeshi art," said Ranjit.

The exhibition will end on May 28.