Songbirds with message of peace
Hashem Khan's exhibition
Fayza Huq
Hashem Khan's exhibition "The sweet and the sublime" begins at the Bengal Gallery today. Hashem says about his work," These paintings have been done in the last two years. I give a lot of importance to the passing time and how it effects my country and the world around me. In the last few years, many important events took place and these have been reflected in my work, although not directly. My lines and colours are abstract and semi-abstract and behind them is the message that I want peace and contentment for others and myself. Although the canvases are pulsating with colour yet somewhere is a streak of pain caused by the mishaps in places like Iraq and Afghanistan." There is the recurrent image of the bird, which speaks of hope. If the bird sings in the middle of such chaos there is surely peace in sight, feels the artist. Hashem has depicted nine songbirds of Bangladesh in his exhibit. There is also the use of flamboyant greens and oranges to usher in the prospect of happiness and contentment in the future. Earlier, when Hashem painted, he had brought in birds, boats, trees and river sides. He was influenced by his trips to the countryside and recalled the nostalgic days of his childhood, when he frequented his village. Hashem believes that he can find peace in remembering the innocent days in his youth in Shikdi, near Chandpur, when he played on the banks of the Meghna and Dakatia. The images of the fish and the kite have recurred in his paintings, recreating the carefree days of the past. Through his lines Hashem has tried to create an unusual rhythm through something fresh and less complicated than before. His teachers were Zainul Abedin, Shafiuddin Ahmed, Quamrul Hassan and Anwarul Haq. "They not only taught me the academic skills and know-how but also made me aware of the social and economic world around me. I learnt to be progressive through them, and fought in the Liberation War. I grew to regard Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujib's speech of March 7 as memorable and painted it keeping its importance in mind. I have done many paintings on the Liberation War, which were exhibited at the National Museum," he said. Apart from the influence of the local teachers, Hashem has visited many European museums and admired the French Impressionists, Picasso and Dali. Talking about the standard of our Bangladeshi artists, Hashem said that they work hard but at times tend to be impatient. He felt that they hankered after name and fame rather than an intrinsic high standard in their work. What the artists are doing now is not stepping much ahead from what the teachers taught some decades back, he believed. However, our standards-- whether it be sculpture, or painting or print-- do not lag behind the others, if one goes by international exhibitions such as the Asian Biennale and the prizes that some of our artists get from overseas. Hashem is also well-known for his book illustrations and has headed many international seminars on this subject.
|
Art work by Hashem Khan |
