Matters of aesthetics

Recently Bengal Foundation brought out a quarterly journal, Shilpi O Shilpo. Abul Hasnat is the editor of the journal. Among the members of the editorial board are Professor Anisuzzaman, Jogen Chowdhury, Rafiqun Nabi, Ramendu Majumdar, Subir Chowdhury, Shushovan Adhikari and Monirul Islam.
The contents in the second issue of the journal include art, photography, film, theatre, music and more. It also highlights Indian art and culture, thus bringing a variation in the presentation.
In the edition, Abul Mansur has an in-depth an essay on veteran Bangladeshi painter and printmaker Safiuddin Ahmed. The painter is now bed-ridden and has been suffering from old age complications for a long time. The writer has tried to explore the ins and outs of the maestro's life and works. The article has focused on the artist's time consuming techniques, themes and his characteristic traits.
Zakir Hossain Razu comes forth with a thought-provoking article on Tareque Masud and his immense contributions to Bangladeshi cinema. The article narrates the filmmaker's creations and the social, cultural and economic aspects of his movies. Through the article, the readers will have an opportunity to know about the social, political, religious and historical context of Masud's works.
Kaberi Gayen has focused on the movie Guerilla. The film has so far received a tremendous response for its unique storyline and the stars' remarkable portrayal of various roles in it. Joya Ahsan's role in the film has been much discussed. Nasiruddin Yousuff based the film on Syed Shamsul Haq's novel 'Nishiddho Loban' and his personal war-time experiences as a freedom fighter. The writer feels this is the first film where women's contributions have been properly documented. This film depicts what really happened during the war. This provides the youths of our country an opportunity to familiarise themselves with our history. After liberation, many films have been produced on the theme of the War of Liberation. Most of the films could not truly touch the souls of the audience because of their technical faults and weak plots.
Indian art reviewer Mrinal Ghosh has highlighted a group sculpture exhibition which was recently held at Emami Chisel Art Gallery, Kolkata. A number of contemporary Indian sculptors took part in the exposition. His article gives a comprehensive idea about contemporary Indian sculpture trends and orientations. The article also provides an overview of master Indian sculptors such as Ramkinkar Baiz, Chintamoni Kor, Shomnath Hore and others. The exhibition brought together significant sculptors inhabiting different decades in India. Uma Shiddhanto and Bipin Goshwami are two leading sculptors of the 1960s. The works of some leading sculptors of the 1970s, like Biman Bihari Das, Ashim Bashu and Manik Talukdar works were displayed at the exhibition. The sculptors have used bronze, marble, terracotta and wood. Most of the sculptors have worked on bronze as their favourite medium.
Indian critic Ina Puri has highlighted the life and works of the noted Indian painter Gonesh Halui. The painter was born in Mymensingh in 1936. Following the partition of India in 1947, Halui's family shifted from Bangladesh to Kolkata and settled there. He completed his honours from Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata in 1956. The painter has worked in different mediums and his mode of expressions is varied --- figurative, landscape, non-objective and pure abstraction. Currently the painter's focal point is colours and fragmented compositions.
In his write-up, Ramendu Majumdar has emphasised the recently held 33rd International Theatre Institute (ITI) World Congress in China. He was a participant in it and narrates his personal experiences in the article. Internationally acclaimed dramatists, dancers, musicians and theatre experts taking part in the congress from different parts of the world read out essays, papers on their specialized areas.

Takir Hossain is with Arts and Entertainment, The Daily Star.