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Art

Soothing the soul with muted hues

Selina Chowdhury Mili

FAYZA HAQ
SELINA Chowdhury Mili, whose recent exhibition of woodcut prints at Alliance Francaise has fascinated the connoisseurs and even the average art lovers, spoke about her work at length, leaving no stone unturned. She may not, at her age, stir up emotions and feelings for work such as those of Monirul Islam or
Rokeya Begum but she still has many miles to go compared to the senior contemporary print makers.
Speaking about why she went into print making rather than other genres of fine art Chowdhury said, "I've specialized in the print medium which has various branches such as lithography, etching, engraving, etching aquatint, mezzo tint, wood cut etc. In this, apart from engraving and woodcut, cannot produce prints without a machine. You have to stay in an 'atelier' or your home. Woodcut is my favourite medium, where the prints are made by rubbing by hand."
Talking about how she had entered the print medium at the outset she said that when she first entered the Fine Arts Institute, I did not get much success with painting so that consequently I tried to use
the facilities that were available in the Print Making Department. Also, I believe that the print medium has now become relatively more popular in the context of Bangladesh and world over.
Chowdhury, spoke about the choice of her muted colours, ranging from black, gray to dark greens, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, beige, with just subtle inclusions of more flamboyant colours such as pinks, chrome yellow etc. and the recent inclusions of figures in her work. Even the pinks were blended with gray, and when the bright greens and blues were included, they were toned down. In short, she went in for suavity and subtlety. Inclusions of black and gray were recurrent. She said, "I feel that the subject called for the colours that I've used and in woodcut, I feel bright colours will not play up well. Personally, I like muted colours such as gray for my work and even for my own personal items such as my clothes."
Dwelling on the particular figures such as the scarecrow, people with their children, boats, cats, foetus, buntings that she had brought into her work, one realised that Chowdhury saw "sweetness and light" in everyday life. They had been superimposed on other geo-
metrical shapes like rectangles and semicircles which are the backdrops of fences or the half moon. Where Chowdhury may have appeared semi-abstract she has always kept nature in mind. Even dreams such as that of fish in the minds of cats have been juxtaposed dexterously.
Touching on the people who had inspired her, Chowdhury said that during her school days, she would draw pictures all along the four margins of her books. She would also paint on bits of earthenware vessels, using colours and print brushes. These earthenware pots contained saplings and tiny plants. Seeing this, her family and friends felt that she should join the Fine Arts Department, Du.
Asked if she had her husband's support which is vital for a woman artist's success, Chowdhury said, "My husband, Ayub Haroon, who works in a private company, (who is not an artist himself) lent me his moral and physical support after my marriage and without him I'd be at sea. He places the wood pieces and I carry on with my work. Physical pressure is essential for wood cuts and here you sometimes need Herculean strength, so to put it, and he has always helped me with that too without any fuss or complaint.
Focusing on the future prospects of print making in the context of Bangladesh and overseas,
Chowdhury said, "I believe that in our country the print medium is yet to be properly appreciated. Overseas, of course, it is already well recognized as abroad people have the opportunity to see and understand prints ."
Expanding on the print makers who have inspired her, Chowdhury said, "In Bangladesh there are senior print makers like Rafiqun Nabi and Rokeya Sultan along with junior artists like Anisuzzaman and Rafi Haque. I also admire Mokhlesur Rahman who won a prize in Shilpakala Academy's recent Asian Biennial. Overseas, I haven't had the opportunity to study much of the work except in the case of Monirul Islam from Spain who frequently exhibits at Dhaka. As for the other Monirul Islam from New York, I don't much fancy his work all that much although he is successful and a hard and consistent worker.
Selina Chowdhury Mili's works have been admired for their strength of form and line by the leading connoisseurs of Bangladesh. She has won four awards including the Saju Art Gallery in 2001. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions at home and overseas as in India, Nepal, France and Bangladesh.