Crème de la crème of artistic aptitude

Artworks by Monirul Islam and Samiran Chowdhury.

The ongoing 39th Grand Group Art Exhibition at Saju Art Gallery in Gulshan-2, Dhaka features a collection of 113 artworks, created by 80 artists.

The exhibition has been dedicated to late painters Maran Chand Pal and Mohammad Fokhrul Islam.

At this year's exhibition, renowned and emerging artists alike are showcasing their artworks. Works of Quamrul Hassan, SM Sultan, Aminul Islam, Murtaja Baseer, Syed Jahangir, Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Monirul Islam and Syed Abdullah Khalid have added value to the collection of artworks on display.

The beauty of riverbanks is captured in Syed Jahangir's “Romancing in Moonlight”. The river and sky, with the moon and its reflection, the splashes of water, as well as the hardship in the lives of the fishermen create an affluent pastoral image. He has used blue, silver and gold in the work.

Samarjit Roy Chowdhury has always had a great passion for folk art. At the exhibition, his “Song of Lines” features scribbles and thick lines that crisscross over the painting. The unpolished, uneven lines create a unique language, highlighting a rural essence. The work presents a combination of traditional and modern geometric and abstract forms.

Monirul Islam's “Aroma En El Aire” is an oil piece with expressive lines and subdued colours. Free space is a noticeable aspect of his works. Serenity and lucidity are unique characteristics of his paintings and prints, particularly etching and aquatint.

Artworks by Monirul Islam and Samiran Chowdhury.

At the exhibition, Syed Abdullah Khalid's “Symphony” denotes an aspect of untamed nature, where crimson and yellow get focused. Blossoming flowers and dense forests are recurring features in his paintings.

Also on display are works of artists like Abdus Shakoor Shah, AKM Alamgir Huque, Ranjit Das, Mohammad Eunus, Ahmed Shamsuddoha, Sheikh Afzal Hossain, Tajuddin Ahmed, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Mohammad Iqbal and Anisuzzaman.

Bangladeshi expatriate artist AKM Alamgir Huque has established some exclusive techniques in printmaking, particularly etching. According to him, air, water and soil are elements that have no dissimilarity, no matter where one goes. The printmaker has not portrayed the nature of any particular region; rather tried to expose universal nature in his print.

When one closely studies Mohammad Eunus' painting at the exhibition, the artist's affinity for rich texture, muted colours and realistic objects become noticeable. Over the last few years, the artist has been continuously trying to give a novel language and fresh shape to his works.

Ahmed Shamsuddoha has been greatly influenced by surrealist painters Salvador Dali and Boris Vallejo. At the exhibition, he has used the forms of dry twigs, broken clay pot, branches and a crystal ball. Figures are missing in the painting. His paintings provide the spectators a sense of pleasure.

Sheikh Afzal Hossain likes to portray street children and the underprivileged -- in both rural and urban settings. A particular portion of his canvas often focuses on underprivileged people and their daily chores. At the exhibition, his “Making Food” shows a woman making food in a grimy environment. The painter uses loose brushstrokes to delineate the various elements in his compositions.

Tajuddin Ahmed is known for his abstract and symbolic paintings. At the exhibition, he portrays changing city, nostalgia and socio-economic structure in a symbolic manner. He has also added some mythological forms and architectural shapes to the painting.

Samiran Chowdhury's “Untitled” (mixed media on canvas) is infused with great spiritual strength and engages the viewers with emotional force and inspiring contemplation. The abstraction in his works is not unpredictable. It comes naturally and he has adopted the language for his unique way of expression.

Other participating painters include Mahmudul Haque, Biren Shome, Kamal Kabir, Mustafizul Haque, Muhammad Moniruzzaman, Iftikhar Uddin Ahmed, Goutam Chakraborty, Abdus Salam, Anukul Chandra Majumdar,

Nagarbashi Barman and Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury.

The exhibition will continue till May 20.