Suman Sarkar’s ‘Rupomoy Bangla’ at AFD

Nature takes a prominent place in Suman Kumar Sarkar’s artworks.  He embraces the beauty of the countryside as he feels confined to the cages of the concrete jungle. His colour palette, thus, soulfully portrays an agro-based Bengal. He grew up in Varendra.

The artist’s fourth solo painting exhibition, Rupomoy Bangla (Graceful Bangla) was inaugurated at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) recently.  Professor Abdul Mannan, Chairman, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, attended the opening ceremony as the chief guest while Professor Dr Sushanta Kumar Adhikari, Chairman, Department of Painting, Oriental Art and Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Art, University of Rajshahi, graced the event as the special guest.   

The artist portrays life of the Santhals with the close proximity of nature in most of his paintings. The Santhal society is marked by diverse festivals and ritualistic celebrations of life with the changing course of nature.

The serpentine beauty of rivers, farmland, ferry ghat, resting boats, the idyll of Santhal village and the cattle house are marked by the artistic compositions and transparent colour treatment by Suman.  In many of his paintings, the artist fantastically mingles hues of ultramarine blue with burnt sienna, sap green and yellow to depict elements of nature.  The exhibition, featuring 32 watercolour paintings, will run till May 4.