Monirul Islam

Monirul Islam

“I am enjoying the liberty of working on a large canvas; it proffers me opportunities where I can easily apply my thoughts through lines, shapes and colours. I feel that courage is needed for any ground-breaking work in the sense that one works in the ability to even destroy one's own painting and create a new image from it,” said Madrid-based Bangladeshi artist Monirul Islam at his atelier cum residence in Dhanmondi.
 Without much deliberation, the artist applies colours and creates forms, lines and compositions. He puts layer upon layer of paint, until he feels that he has achieved what he's striving for. The outcome is a contemplative, a subtly-balanced arrangement of colours and space that draws an art enthusiast's eyes. Monir said, “Without any fear, I might even destroy the image or produce a new pattern, as the painting takes over me; I believe each painting has a life of its own. It is true that many artists in our time cannot bear to destroy their work of art, but to me, to destroy means starting all over again.”

Monir is mainly recognised as a printmaker, who produces different genres of prints. However, over the years he has focused more on painting. Currently, his application of paint is profound and the lines are more minimised; colours give the impression to be both quiet and vivacious. These works simultaneously demonstrate technical finesse and mature intellect. His relationship with geometric abstraction has made him one of the pioneers of abstract painting in our country. Some of his works feature scribbles and clean compositions -- articulating fantasy, longing and melancholy.
Currently, Monir's paintings often feature many surprising elements. He said, “I think each medium has an individual demand and personal trait. Art can be enriched by transforming medium.” Each medium has a particular feature. As part of experimentation and developing new demonstrations, Monir has used oxide colours, smoked black, different types of soil, coffee, marble dust, brick dust, burnt ground rice, acramin and natural pigments. The painter has used special glue that bonds the materials. One remarkable feature of his works is that he has pasted paper on canvas in a number of his works. Then he has worked on them with acrylic, oil, hand colour, pencil and other mediums to portray varied surrealistic and symbolic images, which feature elements of surprise, perplexity, unanticipated juxtapositions and vague forms.
Over the last few years, Monir has worked on (as medium) paper used in boxes of sweets, old books and varied unnoticed objects. He said, “The material's rough texture and rutted surface give me some advantages; I can easily apply colours and create lines. Most of the time, the paper encourages me to create something novel.” He followed up on this idea and gradually started liking it. Grimy, pitted paper inspired him more than fresh white paper. Corrugated board is another pet medium which enables him to portray his desired illusion and fantasy. The artist has made a collage of different kind of papers, materials as a part of his continuous experimentation, which gives his works a novel look.
Monir's specialty is his delicate lines and the balance between use of space and composition. Use of space is an important aspect of his paintings and the artist likes to work with unusual forms and shapes -- transforming them amazingly into tangible expressions. An admirer of nature, Monir tries to replicate colours and harmony prevalent in surrounding environment through his works. The space that is found in his works is aptly related to the perspective of the themes. In his compositions, the artist uses doodles, sharp lines, dots, tiny motifs and a lot of symbols.
Monir considers pure colour to be the most effective way to express emotions and sensitivity. He believes that colour approaches the soul directly and is able to induce profound emotions in the viewer. He applies his colours meticulously, in thin layers, and reduces the texture of the paint to its most minimal state.