Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin | |
|---|---|
জয়নুল আবেদিন | |
 Abedin in 1955 | |
| Born | (1914-12-29)29 December 1914 |
| Died | 28 May 1976(1976-05-28) (aged 61) Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Education |
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| Known for | Painting, drawing |
| Notable work |
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| Children | 3 |
| Awards |
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Zainul Abedin (29 December 1914 – 28 May 1976), also known asShilpacharya (Master of Art) was a Bangladeshi painter. He became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings depicting some of the great famines in Bengal during itsBritish colonial period. After thePartition of Indian subcontinent he moved toEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1948, he helped to establish the Institute of Arts and Crafts (nowFaculty of Fine Arts) at theUniversity of Dhaka.[1]The Indian Express has described him as a legendary Bangladeshi painter and activist.[2] Like many of his contemporaries, his paintings on theBengal famine of 1943 are viewed as his most characteristic works. His homeland honored him with the title "Shilpacharya" (Bengali:শিল্পাচার্য) "Great teacher of the arts" for his artistic and visionary attributes.[3][4][5] He was the pioneer of themodern art movement that took place in Bangladesh and was rightly considered bySyed Manzoorul Islam as the founding father of Bangladeshi modern arts, soon after Bangladesh earned the status of an independent republic.[6]
In September 2024, Abedin's paintingUntitled (1970) was sold for US$692,048 at the "Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art" auction, organised bySotheby's inLondon.[7] It was the highest price ever paid for a Bangladeshi artwork at auction.[8] Earlier in March, his workSantal Couples (1963) was sold for US$381,000 at Sotheby's, New York.[9] It was painted on canvas with oil colours.[9]
Zainul Abedin was born atKendua (now Netrokona) in Kishoreganj mohokuma of Mymensingh district on 29 December 1914.[10] TheBrahmaputra would later appear in many of his paintings and be a source of inspiration all throughout his career. Many of his works framedBrahmaputra and a series of watercolors that Abedin did as his tribute to the river earned him the Governor's gold medal in an all-India exhibition in 1938. This was the first time when he came under spotlight and this award gave Abedin the confidence to create his own visual style.[11]
In 1933, Abedin was admitted to the Government School of Art inCalcutta (nowGovernment College of Art & Craft, Kolkata,India). Here for five years he learned British/ European academic style and later he joined the faculty of the same school after his graduation. He was the first Muslim student to obtain first class distinction from the school.[12] He was dissatisfied with the oriental style and the limitations of European academic style and this led him towards realism. In 1948, with help from a few colleagues, he founded an art institute in Dhaka. Back then, there were no art institutes in the city. Soon after, it went on to be considered the best art institute in Pakistan during its early years. He worked in the Pakistani government for a while.[13] He taught at the institute and among his students was Pakistani artist Mansur Rahi.[14] He also taught Bangladeshi artists such asMonirul Islam[15] andMohammad Kibria.[16]
After completing his two years of training fromSlade School of Fine Art in London, Abedin began a new style, the 'Bengali style', where the main features were: folk forms with their geometric shapes, sometimes semi-abstract representation, and the use of primary colors. But he lacked the sense of perspective. Later he realized the limitations of folk art, so he went back to the nature, rural life and the daily struggles of man to make art that would be realistic but modern in appearance.[17][18]
Among all the contemporary works of Abedin, his famine sketches of the 1940s are his most remarkable works. His famine painting set which, exhibited in 1944, brought him even more critical acclaim. The miserable situation of the starving people during theGreat Famine of Bengal in 1943 touched his heart. He made his own ink by burning charcoal and used it on cheap, ordinary packing paper. He depicted those starving people who were dying by the road-side.[1] Abedin not only documented the famine, he also revealed the famine's sinister face through the skeletal figures of people fated to die of starvation.[19]
Abedin depicted this inhuman story with very human emotions. These drawings became iconic images of human suffering. These sketches helped him find his way in a realistic approach that focused on the human suffering, struggle and protest. He was more socially aware focusing on the working class and their struggles.[20] The Rebel Cow marks a high point of that style. This particular brand of realism combines social inquiry and the protest with higher aesthetics. He was an influential member of theCalcutta Group of progressive artists and was friends withShahid Suhrawardy andAhmed Ali of theProgressive Writers' Movement.[21] He made modernist paintings ofSanthal people. Notable among them is "Two Santhal Women".[22]
Abedin visited Palestinian camps in Syria and Jordan in 1970 and made 60–70 paintings of the refugees.[23] He also painted the1970 Bhola cyclone that devastatedEast Pakistan.[13]
Abedin was involved in theBengali Language Movement of East Pakistan.[2] Zainul Abedin was involved in theBangladesh liberation war movement. He was at the forefront of the cultural movement to re-establish theBengali identity, marginalized by thePakistan government. In 1969, Abedin painted a scroll usingChinese ink, watercolor and wax named Nabanna. This was to celebrate the ongoing non-cooperation movement.[11]
In 1974, Abedin received HonoraryDoctor of Letters degree from theUniversity of Delhi, India.[24] In 1975, he founded theFolk Art Museum atSonargaon inNarayanganj, and Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala, a gallery of his own works inMymensingh.[25] In 1982, 17 of the 70 pictures housed in Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala were stolen. Only 10 were later recovered. His famous painting "Study of a Crow" (Ink Wash) in the collection of Professor Ahmed Ali is listed in the bookArts in Pakistan by Jalaluddin Ahmed, 1952, including an exclusive monologue on him published by FOMMA,Karachi, along with his many Famine Series paintings of 1943.
Abedin was married to Jahanara Abedin.[10] He developed lung cancer and died on 28 May 1976 in Dhaka.Two faces was his last painting, completed shortly before his death.[1] He was buriedbeside the Dhaka University Central Mosque.[26]
In 2009, a crater on the planetMercury was namedAbedin after the painter.[27] His birthday was celebrated in Bangladesh, with a festival inUniversity of Dhaka and children's art competition in Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala (art gallery).[28][29][30] An academic building of theUniversity of Rajshahi, has recently been named after him which is the home to its fine arts faculty. His sketch was auctioned at auction houseBonhams.[31]Zainul Abedin Museum inMymensingh, Bangladesh is dedicated to his work.
In December 2014, Bangladeshi various socio-cultural organisations have arranged elaborate birth centenary programmes throughout the country.[26] On 29 December 2019,Google celebrated his 105th birthday with aGoogle Doodle.[32]
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