The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Artist Abdur Razzaque was some of few talented and dedicated students of the then Government Institute of Arts who played a vital role in the development of the modern western style of painting in Bangladesh. He is simultaneously a painter, a printmaker and a sculptor. He has shown evidence of creativity and skill in each medium.

To commemorate the memory of late artist Abdur Razzaque, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts has organised a retrospective show titled 'Rhythms of figures, forms and nature.' The 20-day exhibition was inaugurated on October 10.

In the retrospective show, works of artist Abdur Razzaque's six decades were on display. These included watercolour, drawing (pen, ink, pencil, charcoal, pastel), print (etching, aquatint, lithograph, dry point, wood cut), sculpture (white cement, bronze, metal) oil colour and mixed medium.

The exhibition presents his versatility and dedication to art. From the beginning of his career, he liked to work in different media and was always striving to discover the mystery of nature and human beings. In his portrait sketches, he is profoundly true to the characters. The characters remind the expressive and touching emotion, which is very rare and unusual.

Razzaque always tried to articulate the inner essence of nature in many of his works. It is significant that he had a deep capacity to feel and respond to the beauty of nature in his works. He not only produced works, but also introduced an aesthetic and artistic element.

Abdur Razzaque also did figurative work - rural men, goldsmith, his companions, his parents, boatman, hard working people, boats, crows, indigenous flowers, people at leisure and other facets. His landscape transported the viewers far away from urban life. He organised the motifs in different combinations of light and shade.

Although Bangladesh has a rich tradition in sculpture, the practice of modern sculpture was limited to the examples set by Novera Ahmed in the 1950s. As the founding head of the department of sculpture, Razzaque had to take the responsibility to establish an environment for institutional education and training in sculpture in this country.

Razzaque was born in 1932 in Digar Mahishkhali, a remote village in Shariatpur. He passed intermediate science in the second division from Rajendra College in Faridpur in 1945 and took the admission in the newly established the Government Institute of Arts in Dhaka in 1954, securing first position in the first class. He left for the USA in 1955.

A Fullbright scholar, he pursued post-graduate studies at the State University of Iowa and successfully completed a two-year master degree (MFA) in 1957. Indeed, Razzaque was the first Bangladeshi to have earned a master degree in Fine Arts. He visited many countries in Asia and Europe in his professional capacity. In recognition of his comprehensive achievement in the field of the fine arts, Razzaque was awarded the 'Ekushe Padak' in 1989. He also received the 'Bangladesh Charushilpi Sangsad Award' the same year.

He was passionate and introvert and shied away from the atmosphere of humans occupied with fame, wealth and domination.

Artist Razzaque liked to work in bold brush strokes, bright colours, light and shade that mark his figures and forms from the ambience around him. In his use of colours, he frequently went for vital colours from our natural world. His application of paint was also singular and distinctive. His watercolours and oil paintings are highly impressive for their colour, tone and texture. These works are simultaneously of technical excellence and intellectually very mature.

The exhibition will end on October 29.