Ecstasies of ornamentation in water-colour

Artworks on display

Abdul Aziz's recent exhibition at Zoom Gallery, Alliance Francaise drew many enthusiasts of oriental art. With gold, brown, beige and black strokes Aziz has brought beautiful, stylised images of birds, women, flowers and trees on to his canvas. This is in praise of the simple Bangladeshi women, with their uncomplicated "shalwar-kameez" apparels and accompanying jewellery. There is also his regard for the wealth of nature.
Having done his Masters in Oriental Art, and teaching this genre at the Institute of Fine Arts, DU, Aziz spends his free time in delineating statuesque women in the fashion of the Moghul art and Bengal School of Art. Moreover, Aziz enjoys doing water-colour with their soft, gentle streaks. In his four solos, he has dealt with nature and women, whom he considers a part of nature.
In "Waiting" one sees a young woman surrounded by flowers, trees, drying saris, patiently counting the minutes for the approach of her beloved. She is decked in a winding checked sari and has tiny bits of ornaments of everyday use. "Two friends" once again depicts the clothes, and the elements of finery at the wrist, nose, throat and ears.
Another painting brings in the charm of a modern Bangladeshi woman, surrounded by untouched elements of nature, passing her time contemplating and waiting. "The lady with a bird" is more detailed. Heart shaped motifs surround the woman so that she appears a part of the surrounding pattern. Her hands and fingers are unusually long and tapered, while tiny birds add to the ornamentation of the composition. All in blue, "Lady with nature", has birds and geometric motifs to cover and surround a nude figure.
At times Aziz has presented elements of nature by themselves as in the case of thick, fleshy white flowers with pistils and pollen. Again, he has played with colours and left out the details of the face in one of his paintings so that it appears more modern. There is the hair and the necklace but little else.
The artist has made attractive compositions of cacti, their snow-white blossoms and large black ants.
Aziz says that water-colour is not easy, as it has to be completed quickly, while the paper is still wet. He uses English hand-made paper most of time, and imported paints.
He does illustrations too, although at present he has cut down the numbers and dedicates himself to painting, so that he can have more exhibitions. He hopes to study overseas. He has exhibited in UK, India, Iran and Bangladesh. He says his inspirations are still his one-time guides, Abdus Sattar and Nasreen Begum.