Towfiq's breathtaking images
Towfiq who studied in the sculpture department in the Institute of Fine Arts, DU, studied the work style of his teacher Hamiduzzaman Khan, who had then returned from Baroda. Later, when he went to study in China, he concentrated on realistic work, which was in its infancy back in Bangladesh, where even getting a model was difficult. He began with clay modelling and later transferred to other materials like metal. After returning home, he combined the realistic with the abstract and got the semi-abstract expression in his work. He worked at will, for five months, expressing his moods and feelings, not bound by any realistic confines or the fact that he had to have an exhibition.
In Urban he depicts a goat that appears loveable and endearing although it is a simple subject. The artist, in his works does not reach out to something highbrowed, philosophic or poetic and yet the pieces in their pale gray shades were moving. In Fertility the sculptor had brought in two simple blades of grass by which he indicates that farming is quite a task in our country. Colonial presents a horse of the British period, which recalls, a stream of images from a single horse -- the cavaliers on horses and the many types of carriages.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Portrait of a worker features workers in the garment factories and their oppression. Dawn, the depiction of a rooster, is the symbolic representation of the peace and harmony in our villages. Through Dead queen the artist expresses his notion of the lack of perfect democracy in most countries. Expression represents a human being riding an animal.
In the paintings, the artist has used a toothbrush instead of the normal paintbrush. In them he has brought in the subject of childhood, animals found in the countryside and other everyday elements around us.
As a child Towfiq preferred to make clay figurines rather than do his normal studies. He once made a clay plane with glass blades and his brother, an engineer, encouraged him in the field of creative art. At the Institute of Fine Arts, DU, his teachers were Abdur Razzak, Hamiduzzaman, Shahid Kabir, Mahmudul Haque and Mahbubul Amin. "Hamiduzzman taught me to think beyond the conventional confines. He stressed on drawings, which helped me to understand three-dimensional representation eventually. Going to China in 1982, I went deeper into realistic work. I also learnt to admire Henry Moore, Rebecca Horn, and Kelder. From India Ramkinkar and Somnath Hor influenced me greatly," he concludes.
The exhibition continues till August 18.