The New Nation - Internet Edition

Art & Culture Report

"I love this tempera medium. I have worked in it for 35 years apart from doing oils and acrylic. This technique has been used by Mughal artists and also by the painters of the Ajanta and Elora caves. One has to concentrate a lot when working in this medium. This is the cheapest possible medium that will last for a long time. This technique existed even before oil painting and will stand the rigours of weathers more than oil," said Shahid Kabir, who is in Bangladesh for a while from Spain, conducted a workshop with over 300 students at the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, recently. The paintings, the result of the workshop, were exhibited at Zainul Gallery-2 at the Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka University.

"This is done by mixing the egg yolk with water and linseed oil on the palette, and then applying the colours with the mixture. I told the students to see apparently unimportant things around them and use them as their subjects.

I myself like to paint the simple things in life. Imagination did not take an important part in creating these paintings. I tried to show the young painters to see the objects with spirit," said Shahid. "We selected 250 works from the 400 that were done. The young people are our future: they are our new generation of Picassos and Frida Kahlos. I tried to guide the painters to depict what they felt and what they loved. It was interesting to see that the artists ranged from 20 years old 1st year students to a retired Air force officer of 70," he said.The exhibition was indeed a display of works of promising artists. Ananya had a still life with red pomegranates on a bowl with succulent seeds all around them. Gazi Taslima done a red and green dragonfly with pink and white transparent wings. Faisal Ahmed had a collection of coloured jars in his painting. Abul Kalam Shamsuddin depicted a vagabond woman in a torn sari lying on the roadside.

Queenie, an established artist, also participated in the workshop. She said, " Workshops as we know generally include senior artists or consists of only a small group. This workshop was different and open to all artists. When the artists went about their work four days, it was like a 'mela' with the painters spread out over the lawns of the Fine Arts Institute, verandas and an auditorium at the back. I myself did some rickshaws."

MM Maizuddin presented Shahid Kabir's portrait with vibrant colours and careful lines.

Murad Hossain had a buffalo with a rider carrying an umbrella in a field of brown and yellow grass. Nilima Sarkar played with they eye of a woman and presents it in indigo and red with a striking effect.

Shamsun Nahar depicted an exotic bird with a shaded backdrop of earthy colours.

Nazma Akter brought in a handful of leaves on a blue background with tiny bottle green leaves contained in it.

Mithun Dutta glorified nature, along with Mousumi Sultana. One brings in red and yellow flowers, with a lot of pale blue texture work at the back, while the other brought in fleshy white magnolia along with their enveloping dark leaves.

The Exhibition was ended on May 17.