Anisur Rahman Pannu, 27 years of age. has collected all his savings to venture into the world Of oil painting, and has done this with success. This is despite the fact that he is sclf-taught.and has no one to rely on, except himself.

In "Attack'. he had depicted the subservient ■condition of Bangladeshis, who he believes . are in the grips of foreign powers.A "baul" had been depicted with and "ek-tara", as the subject. This figure was in obvious agony, as was depicted by the blood on his checks, and more

spots on his "ek-tara" The "baul" symbolised the culture of our country, while the hawk, delineate in the same oil work, represented USA. the Allied For ces during the Gulf War, and the present offensive forces against Iraq. The artist explained about this particular work," 1 am absolutely sure that we arc being adversely affected by foreign powers."

The main figure had been carefully delineated , while the sense of power and terror had been well signified by the red and sharp claws , and the vicious beaks of the frenzied yellow eagle attacking the subject from the top of the composition.The backdrop of brown and the touches of black and white balanced the painting.

In another piece, entitled The Sons of Fire", the freedom fighters of Bangladesh, during '71, were shown . In this painting, one of the subjects was portrayed as holding a rifle and dragging his mortally wounded comrade. The figures had been done in black, white, and brown, while turquoise and olive -green "lungls" completed the accoutrements. The oil work had powerful and mature strokes. Red was found on the head of the bandages, and naturally .in the wound of of the fallen friend. The grey in the background symbolised turmoil, horror and holocaust .found in an average war or battle. The theme of guerilla warfare fighters had been delete with incisively .

In Beggar Woman" , a starved and poverty-stricken old beggar woman had been portrayed with deft and subtle strokes. One of her emaciated and drooping breasts was uncovered, while the other remained barely exposed. The subject's body, face limbs, along with the ribcage — sticking out, the deep hollowed eyes, apart from the rag of a “sari", worn askew, drove home the point that the subject was in dire distress— and with no hope in the horizon. The woman was delineated as wailing like some abandoned coyote. "That is what has been done to our human beings." Pannu commented . The composition was completed with a grey background, with white in the left corner . at the front, and natural shadows of the

In The village beauty." the artist had shown a widow carrying a clay vessel for water. Her tresses from over her temples, reached up to her shoulder, in front, and this, the artist explained, depicted her anxieties. Fear was apparent in her large, lost eyes. Her intrinsically aquiline nose, dove eyes and Cupid lips had been greatly affected by mic and social factors. as was apparent and obvious. The blue , white and grey in the backdrop held up the subject, by the artist, who certainly had an eye for details. The insecure life of the single and widowed women in our country, had been well represented.

.The artist's vision was not necessarily a pessimistic one. When he delineated the countryside of Bangladesh, he depicted it with buoyant colours. In his "Ruposhi Bangla",the artist had brought in an impressionistic image of the Bangladeshi countryside. The composition depicted two men getting ready to swim in a pond. Stacks of hay in brown and white, thatched huts and a house with a corrugated iron sheet . were included in the composition. The clear blue sky. with touches of pristine white, banana, "krishnachura" and other trees brought in nature. So did the expanse of vivid green, with accurate shades which were placed at a lower level, in a parallel formation. The trees and the figures, had. furthermore been shaded with black and brown, to make them stand out from the rest of the scene.

Pannu had certainly come a long way. with the sweat of his brows. It was remarkable how a sign-board painter . coming originally from a small city in Pabna, liad achieved what many trained artists from Dhaka had managed to do.