Zainul Abedin is a renowned painter from Bangladesh. The world knows him for his series of painting during the famine in 1943. He is the father of Bangladeshi modern art. His vision is the foundation of Bangladesh’s art institutions. His leadership brought all Bangladeshi artist under one umbrella. This internationally recognized artist is still the most iconic person in Bangladeshi art industry. Still, Bangladesh reminds him with honor every year.
Personal life of Zainul Abedin:
Zainul Abedin born on December 29, 1914, in Kishorganj, East Bengal; now in Bangladesh. His father was Tamizuddin Ahmed and mother was “Joynabunnessa”. By profession his father was sub-inspector of Police and mother was a housewife. He’s spent his early life beside the bank of Brahmaputra River. It inspired most of his works. In early days some of his painting did tribute the river. It led him to get Governor’s Gold Medal in an all-India exhibition in 1938. It allowed him to come under the limelight for the first time.
This famous artist had passion for art and painting. At the age of 16, he escaped to Calcutta to see arts from Government school. He did admit in Calcutta Government Art School in Calcutta in 1933. There he graduated 5 years course and obtain first class distinction from the institution as the first Muslim in 1938.
He married to Jahanara Abedin. Zainul was a funny person and he loved kids. His favorite food was village food. He was so much addicted to smoking and tea. He was suffering from lung cancer at the end period of his life. After his death on May 28, 1976, (Age 61) this iconic artist of Bangladesh buried beside Dhaka University Central Mosque.
Work Life:
At the time of his study at Calcutta Government Art School in Calcutta, he came in a touch with European/British Academic Style. There he joined in the faculty after his graduation. There he was very much dissatisfied with the limitations of European academic styles. He found the Orientalist style was heavily static and mannered. It diverted him to the realism theme. He wanted to work more on the everyday life of general people. He interpreted the people’s daily life with versatility with his own imagination.
During the 1943’s famine, Zainul Abedin drew a series of sketches. That manmade famine spread all over Bengal and killed hundreds of thousands. He drew these sketches on cheap packing paper with Chinese ink and brush. His sketches showed the cruelty of death. He showed the helplessness of dying people during the famine through his works. These works on the human struggle, suffering brought him all India fame. His works on realism mixing with social protest with aesthetics inspired many in a different part of history. His work “The Rebel Crow” (watercolor, 1951) is still one of the most iconic marks of high standard and style.
After the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, he came to Dhaka to settle down. It was the Capital of Eastern Province of Pakistan. During that period, there was no art institute in Dhaka. There was no worthy mentioned artistic activity either. Zainul Abedin took the initiative to gather a group of artist and found Art Institute in Dhaka.
In 1951 he left to London for a training in Government scholarship. There his works received praise from reviewers. It allowed him to expand his vision. After two years of training, he started to work on Bengali Folk items. He mainly focused on using primary colors. Some of the notable work during that time was Two Women (gouache, 1953), Woman (watercolor, 1953) and Painna’s Mother (gouache, 1953). British Art Reviewer Richard Willson told about Zainul, “(Now) he has made a brilliant synthesis of abstractionist technique with the melodic flowing lines.’ (The Sunday Statesman, Calcutta, 23 January 1955, quoted in Anwar Dil, ‘Zainul Abedin’, in Bangladesh: An Intercultural Memoir, Dhaka, Adorn Books, 2011, p 68.). Though he moved from modern based art later.
Soon he understood the limitations of folk art. He defined the limitation of dimensionality in floor art. It did have an absence of the relationship between shade and light. He encouraged him to go back to nature. He combined the realism of rural life and present that in modern appearance. Zainul Abedin concentrated on the work with labor force and struggle against probabilities and also continued to show the limitations to work with individuals.
From 1960-68, Zainul was less active in realism art but focused more sketch and the lifestyle of indigenous of Chittagong. In the middle of 60, he worked to establish Art department in Peshawar University. He resigned from principle post of Dhaka Art College and worked as the honorary art advisor of Pakistan Government.
During 1975, he took the set up a folk museum at Sonargoan. Also, he set up a gallery in Mymensingh which is known as Shilapcharya Zainul Abedin Museum. He was actively present in the different movement to preserve the Bengal heritage and root of Bengali Culture.
Some of his iconic work was “Guntana”, “Ayna Niye Bodhu”, “Ekaki Bone”, “Painnar Ma”, “Ma o Shishu” , “Mukh Chotustoy”, “Songarm”, Nobanno”, “Study of a Crow”, “Rebel Crow” and series of Famine paintings etc. “Two Face” was his last work.
Zainul’s involvement in movement:
Zainul Abedin was highly active in different movements. In 1969 he was raised his voice against the autocracy. In the February of 1970, he arranges a big exhibition in Art College. During 1971 he gave a speech along with Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani in a public meeting in Mymensingh. He was influenced by “Revolutionary Socialist Artist” David Siqueiros.
Awards and recognition:
Zainul was nominated as the “Shilpacharya” by his students in 1967 for his contribution on the development of Bangladesh Art Industry. Indian Delhi University gave him honorable D Litt in 1973. He was visiting professor of Peshawar University and Dhaka University. He was the president of Bangla Academy for 2 years. Also, He appointed as the “National Professor” in 1975. During his lifetime he was honored by different countries and awarded for his work. He visited the Soviet Union with State Invitation.
Source:
Banglapeida.org
Shilpaoshilpi.com
Bangladeshpedia.org
Artnet.com
Wikipedia.org
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