A mix between abstract and real

Despite his handicap, Anis is holding his solo exhibition this week at Chitrak, He uses oil, water colour and mixed media. For his subject he goes in for something that is in between abstract and real. 'When I work, I try to bring in the beauty and untrammeled lure of the countryside with its boats, trees, vast meadows and intertwining rivulets. I have brought in the young herdsman and the delightful resting village woman again and again.'

In one of his paintings is a goatherd who is clad only in a flimsy lungi, as he drives his three frisky animals to pasture. In the background are splashes of orange and brown. A painting with quick strokes of black and blue presents horsemen. A simple boy tugging at his goats, to take them home after the day in the pasture is brought in another painting. This is in brown, green and red. The same theme sees a boy outlined in red and pink and he is surrounded by green and brown. A tokai is the subject of Jiban Shandhani where the bedraggled street urchin with his spindly limbs and bloated stomach is made to appear brave and cuddly.

In Banglar Bashanta, one of the paintings which has been displayed in Paris, there is the splendour of spring with the bursting of blossoms with a seated woman held in between the flowers and leaves. The painting entitled Joy has a woman's charm and beauty in full bloom, presented in the artist's semi abstract style. This is done in orange, brown and red. Boats and rivers have been included as the subject of another painting. Another popular theme with some artists is Birangana (the ravished woman) and this has been done in sombre gray and brown.

Another of his paintings has a young woman in pink. She is seated against the tree trunk, with the blue and green of the sky cascading at the back, with russets and greens of surrounding nature couching the figure. Tiny white sails of boats and suggestions of pristine white birds have been included in the backdrop. The painting is as fresh and energising as a whiff of a wonderful French perfume. Spring in forest is yet another fascinating kaleidoscope of gentle swirls and splashes of bright greens, blues and browns. It has soft interlacing offsets of grays that bind together the fragmented flavour of the spring season.

Anis says that he does face problems while at work as he is not sure of the shades of his colours with his present eye-sight. 'I guess some of this,' Anis says. He paints only in the daytime, and enjoys working in semi abstract. He once worked with the Department of Films and Publications. He has had an earlier solo at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 1992 and took part in numerous group exhibitions from 1962 to 2004, as in the National Art Exhibitions at the Shilpakala Academy and the exhibition organised by Charu Shilpi Sangsad in 2002. Anis graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, in 1967.