A shared heritage of art
"The four major artists in Bangladesh had studied originally in Kolkata Art College and this included Zainul Abedin, Shafiuddin Ahmed, Mohammed Kibria and Quamrul Hassan. Hence we've had our links with Kolkata from the outset," says Maksoodul Ahsan, one of the curators of the exhibition. Bengali artists who have settled in Delhi, such as Amitabh Sengupta and Uttam Kumar Basak also joined the artists in Kolkota.
There were a variety of paintings at the exhibition. Wassim Kapoor has presented a beautiful girl's picture with a surrealistic effect by playing with space. Lalu Prasad Shaw's was a stylised portrait of a woman with a butterfly and a flower. Sunil Das had brought in a bull in his work. He had stayed in Europe and was influenced by life there. Dhiraj Chowdhury had brought in the Radha Krishna romance, with idyllic human figures, gopinis, swaying trees and brilliant moon on top.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Amitabh Sengupta, who also lived in Europe for a long time before he settled down in Delhi, had included calligraphy and collage in his work. Paritosh Sen had a sketch of a hungry man in a famine. Prakash Karmakar had a nude with a bird and flowering tree in a romantic atmosphere.
Quamrul Hassan had drawings which included a woman dressed up and waiting for someone. Aminul Islam had water colour in abstract form. Samarjit Roy had colour drawings. Abdus Shakoor had his traditional folk elements with dots, lines and portraits of dark village women. Nasreen Begum's works had been appreciated greatly in which she brought in a flower and courtyard. Swapan Chowdhury's mixed media was also included. Maksudul Ahsan's painting had a beautiful woman resting with a horse, symbolising a woman's trust in strength and reliability.
The exhibition exemplified the enduring bond between the Bengalis from India and Bangladesh.