Mohammed Younus: Art works depict war and peace

An art work by Mohammed Younus

Then there is an oil painting, called Nature 1. The predominant colours are green, brown, turquoise, orange and yellow. This is a typical rural landscape with the greenery of grass and trees and the clear sky of a Bangladeshi village. Explains Younus, "The work reflects harmony and peace, there is no distortion."

In addition to mono prints and oils, Younus has done effective watercolours. There is a depiction of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in four paintings and another reveals the Sundarbans. In one watercolour, he has shown an idyllic scene in the hill tracts: mountains, hills and little huts. There are twigs on the ground and there are Chakma women returning home after ploughing the fields.

The works are a strong indictment of war and present day turmoil in society. In the artist's words, " While nature inspires me, the current unrest and collapse of humanity throughout the world haunts me. This is reflected in my work."

He is most at peace when he is in the midst of nature. His favourite haunts to recharge his creativity are the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Sundarban. Lately he has made Khulna his base because he is the current principal of the Khulna Art College.

Younus' work is distinctive, believes Nabila Rahman, who heads the Art & Soul Gallery. "You will see wood cuts and etchings but you will hardly come across mono prints in Bangladesh. He is the only one who has been doing mono prints for years now. He has the expertise, skill and talent which comes from years of experimentation," she says.

Why mono prints? For one, says Younus, this technique requires only minimal equipment and space. There is a downside also: it is very hard work because if the artist makes a small mistake, the whole work will be destroyed. "Drawing skills and expertise with colour composition have to be very acute. If the artist doesn't have these attributes, it can be very risky because the work will get completely messed up, " says Nabila.

This is Younus' 10th exhibition. The response has been good so far. He wants to get back to work quickly so that he can have another exhibition. However, he is still unclear about the subject of his works. "The theme depends on the current political situation, and my own mental and emotional state of mind," asserts Younus.