The call of the young

What was so heartening about the exhibit by the teenagers Lamia Wajeehah Hossain and Rohena Alam Khan at "Drik" is that they were not aiming to be fine arts students,and despite their hectic schedule for their "O" levels, they have managed to find the time and energy, to put their other studies aside and concentrate on art work. They aim to do art oriented studies later on, Lamia planning to go in for architecture and Rohena for advertising, possibly and probably. Yes, they have limited experience and they needed the guidance of teachers such as the well-known artists like Fareha Zeba and Juiss apart from Tulu, and added to that was the constant support of their family and friends. Their work does not have the soul pitch, of say the 13 year-old autistic Aadil Hoque , who had exhibited his innumerable art works at "Arial". Yet the variety of subjects and the number of mediums that the young artists have used are fairly moving, keeping in mind that this is not their only passion. Time had to be put aside to bring in the delicate blossoms, the paradise ambiance, the sentimental scenes and the paintings which, all in all, present inquiring minds and skilled fingers with brush and pencils as well as perceptive visions.

In Lamia's still life we see vegetables such as purple turnips, white beet roots and some greens placed along with a serviette and the necessary fork and knives placed on a table with a smallish table-cloth. The table is done with a combination of gray, pink and orange strokes. What is interesting in the academic composition is the stove at the back, with a brown conventional background and a beige forefront. The strokes are thick, free flowing and speak of an energetic mind. This might not drive you wild with admiration yet the fact remains that it is decorative and neat as well as a laudable work by a lively person who finds beauty in something which might appear apparently mundane to some viewer.

An example of Lamia's water colour is a pot that is decorated with interlacing motifs of leaves and flowers. A basket or wicker table holds it while green leaves are seen shooting up from behind the pot. The background is in shades of gray, while the details are played up with delicate lines and colours. Thus nature and still life are combined with soft washes.

Her "Shorna lok" is done with shades of gold, burnt umber, burnt sienna. There is a metal container with the golden sunshine washing the objects from a side. Soft washes of gray and blue hold up some leaves so that the effect is simple but striking. Her other "Still life 11" brings in orange and purple flowers with their leaves, which are in shades of cream.Soft washes of beige and brown hold up the image while a portion of a table is carefully included in the foreground. This is definitely decorative if no more. In "Polasher chaya" by the same young Lamia brings in the well-loved local flowers that are presented with such delicate strokes that they look almost like cherry blossoms. Even the diminutive hedges at the bottom of the tree trunk are done with care and precision. The paddy fields at the back are included with washes of beige intermingling with green,to add serenity and idyll. The composition is complete with trees and houses being subtlety included in the background,in gentle splashes of beige and green while the sky is left white to add to the tranquillity. The teenager's penchant for bringing in peace and harmony in a world confused with contradictions is admirable. The exhibition being near the Victory Day, Lamia wants to drive home the point that one must treasure whatever has been our lot as regards natural scenes.

Lamia's "Baba" is a sketch of her father with graying hair, moustache and beard and although this is nothing more than a pencil sketch in black and white, this brings out the personality of the character with a vital impact. His eyes glisten and his bright flash of this teeth speak of satisfaction with life. This candid portrayal is admirable for the economy of strokes and the simple use of black and white.

In Rohena's "Harano Shohor" there is the same medium, but here we have more depth in presentation in the sense that some more fancy and imagination has entered the presentation of the subject. In it are brought in pillars, walls, a turret of a mosque, little houses, traces of trees and shadows filling onto a pond in front with zigzag effect. The geometrical lines that form the shadows along with the pile of spherical stones at the side are all done with care although thick crayon has been used. The choice of strokes remains careful and minimal The houses stand for life that once buzzed with vigour when the city was inhabited.

In "Atindriya" which means emotion, Rohena depicts how people tend to hide their emotions from each others. The woman looks clam by she is dome in vibrant orange with touches of black to bring in the contours of the face. The emotions of the man facing away represent anger but he is done in blue which stand for calmness and so we see the duplicity of society. The details of the faces of both the people have been done with care so that the impact is almost that of African masks such is the drama created by the cunning use of colours by one quite young in this field of fine art. She has lotus eyes and cupid lips while the man is quite impressive with the sharp nose and impressive eyes. This is purely imaginative.

Showing "sunset" is "Bhibanti" which means confusion as the artist feels that her use of colours in the portrayal of the sky and ground may create some confusion in the mind of the viewer. Rohena's acrylic colours bring in masses of gray, orange, beige, while the forefront is black and brown. In between the bar of the dark sky and the ground below are the vibrant colours of twilight that pulsates with joie de vivre.

"Ochinpur", which means middle of nowhere, have two figures in blue and red sitting on concrete slabs and chatting about life around in general. A railway track goes by. A timetable is included in the painting but the characters appear to be oblivious of it or of doing anything else but passing their time ruminating. A lot of thick use of paints is seen in the background in the sky with its hint of turquoise. The ground brings in emerald and maroon shades which also include some clumped bushes, while the train track in simply snake-like streaks of gray and black. It is the concept here that is important rather than the depiction of anything of obvious beauty. Rohena's work "Kamona" or "Lust" has been influenced by her spell of stay in USA, where she came across a lot of young people with funky clothes, such as the open leopard skin coloured bikini sported by the open flamingo pinkish and gray see-though shirt and stylized jeans. The young woman holds on to her hard drink which is giving her the "high" that she hungers after, and is pulling down her jeans with her thumb at one end with provocation. She bears friendship bands on her wrist. Her belly, breasts, belly button, the shape and pattern of her bikini cry out for attention, as young women both in the east and west sometimes tend to do when they go awry.

An unusual depiction is seen in a painting who is seeing through a magnifying glass in "Bisho Drisho" which means that there are two things are close together but do not resemble each other. Both the eyes should look the same but because of the magnifying glass with which the child is playing and experimenting with, the other eye looks enormous. Rohena has made the boy's lips startling pink to bring in his innocence. The child is apparently Caucasian with the blonde hair and blue eyes. Once again the artist concentrates on an idea or an unusual moment rather than the delineation of placid picturesque elements which one can comprehend without any footnotes.

In Rohena's "Nondon Kanon" or "The garden of Eden" depicts two parrots and bright flowers like lilies, orchids and their accompanying leaves and tendrils. The paints are put on so thickly and the colours are so dazzling that one stops to stand and stare at it although the them is an old one, done many times over, by various artists. This has the young painter's innocent delineation of flora and birds rather than anything else in this Arcadia which could have been inhabited by humans too. The choice of colours reminds one of Gauguin's passion for the exotic east. The parrots with their bent beaks in blue, their feathers in shades of overwhelming bright orange and blue, done in acrylic, go well with the butterfly in more romantic shades, the composition of idyllic peace and perfection is complete with pink, purple and red exotica of orchids and hibiscus.

The two young artists' lust for life has certainly been well presented in their large collection of paintings, pencil and pastel work which certainly delight the viewer and confirming the fact that "Drik" is giving plenty of scope for young ones to come up and prove themselves.