& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Poverty is Not an Obstacle

Bastob organises a successful children's show at Goethe Institut

By Fayza Haq
IT does not necessarily require ample funds provided by friends or an astronomical financial family backing to produce successful paintings by children. Thirty young ones of Shilpi Sultan Pathshala, backed by Bastob, initiated and guided by Mariam Muller, presented water-colour works from age five to eleven. This was linked to the main topic of "Waterworlds Project of the Goethe Institut Munich at the World Expo 2000. and was exhibited at the Goethe Institut gallery. At the inauguration there had also been a musical performance by the Bangla-Shur Lalitkala Kendra and Bangla-Shur Cultural children.
The exhibition presented themes from mostly the countryside. bringing in boats, fish, water-lilies, boatsmen and fishermen. They also delineated the period of dearth of rain which depresses the farmer and puts him to despair and the flood scenes of '99 floods. Yes. the home front was brought in some of the watercolour images, including the school and ponds nearby. The Importance of seasonal rain and the ensuing happiness that the Bangladeshi rural people take in birds, animals and flowers were also well presented by the artistic young ones with their bold vision and swift strokes. Some of the paintings reminded one of the apparently simplistic but highly imaginative and revolutionary paintings of Rousseau. Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollock.
One does not know how aware the young painters from the poor homes in Dhaka know about the masters, but their works had the pristine effect of imagery and colours along with style and presentation that made one marvel at the imagination of the young painters, that brought in Imaginary river monsters with human shapes and how little ones combined flora, fauna and boats with the scintillating orange, red. emerald and royal blue streaks, all held on a single sheet of paper. The panic of animals and humans in the overwhelming recent floods were also delineated. These scenes were surely out of pure imagination of the little ones for the scenes could only have been seen In the news media or witnessed in photos such as the ones shown at Drlk gallery and the paintings Included In the Rickshaw-art at Alliance Francalse not so long ago.
The children could well have heard narratives of the rural existence with regular floods and occasional parched lands from their friends and family. The irrigation scenes and the Inclusion of date palm trees along with the Jade green fuzzy topped trees are surely what the city child knows of possible trips of the village home and of course via the guidance of the teachers at Shilpi Sultan Pathshala. Illustrations and photos In their text books in schools for the deprived and at home could also have helped the little ones to grasp a strong and passionate feeling for Une and colour.
It is heart warming to see that young artists originating from pathetic economic existence can produce work that touches both the heart and mind of the connoisseurs and art lovers.
The painting of the Lotus Near Home by M Rina Akhter brings in floating lotus In carmine with yellow and orange sail boats in the pond with their boatmen in "lungls" and singlettes clearly defined and standing out along with the lemon yellow faces clearly outlined with black. The lady, with orange hands, brown face and gray-black hair, is in her vibrant vermilion picturesque maxi with brilliant orange dots with the swirling dopatta picturesque. is shown gathering water from a gray water-pump in an earthenware decorated with bright geometrical pat-
terns in stripes and zig-zags in shades of red. orange and brown. In the backdrop is brought the greenish yellow house with its roof, basically gray, orange and brown windows with and door clearly composed, along with trees — of chrome green outlined with burnt-umber — of two types bear brown fruit in the case of the date-palm. The sky sweeps atop the rest of the images in fiat massive gray-blue offset the rest of the Images in the painting. This idyllic picture soothes the viewer and Is a combination of swift seeps and close careful patiently done work. The rodent like animals munching green massive turnips, complete with leaves and roots, have also been delineated In this village scene. This is absorbing piece with its intriguing proportions of images is done by a young girl with promising mastery over paints.
Frogs Home by Tumpa Akhter, Class 111, aged 7, brings in two frogs painted with absorbing details, playing under a toadstool, which is dotted with vermilion given and beige dots circled with burnt umber swirls. The main subjects are done in beige and ruby-red strokes with beige-umber for the main body. The limbs are Jutting out in different poetic directions. There is a black boat has its wickerwork hood done In brown and boatman Included to the left. His eyes, eye-brows and hair are outlined In black, as in most of the human Images seen In the exhibit. Splashes of green, depicting grass as well as fish, seen under the boat, done In black and green, along with a tree placed on the ground. Also seen in the composition is a house with dark red and brown tones. Clouds of mauve-gray are brought in to the right of the water-colour. A human figure done in pale beige with a large lceP ‘s , Included he.slcje tf^ toadstool. The Jailing rain comes in with intriguing drops of more mauve. The water is denoted In waves of Jade and pale emerald green. The unusual perception of the depiction — portraying the normally perceived ugly frogs — fills the viewer’s mind with incredible peace and Joie de vivre.
Mohammed Yunus's Life Struggle, of Class V. aged 12. depicts flood and brings in a boatman depicted in beige outline with swirls of brown in the painting. He Has a mauve and green lungl and a slnglette .with his face, limbs and body done in washes of lemon yellow, as he hangs on to a pole which acts as an oar. as the endangered soul hangs onto the fragile support for dear life. Two other men are brought in. wading with the flood waters rising to their neck. One carries his greenish-brown painted worldly possessions, outlined
with orange, on his head, while the other balances a basket of food. While one is bearded the other is younger person -- but both in obvious peril The details are depicted by the pale yellow wash and the Jet-black and gray outlines, w'hlle the mouths are streaks of orange. The thatched roofed houses in the background have flood water rising up to their walls. The trees too have water splashing up to their high branches.
The tree tops in the painting are masses of pale chrome green swirls, carefully outlined with deeper emerald. On top are two flying birds almost as large as the humans -- with scalloped motifs worked on to their bodies -- and they usher in a tiny element of hope in the picture of prevailing peril. The work depicts how endangered birds and humans struggle on with courage. The pink door and the dainty windows all go to present a true conception of beautiful countryside that is repeatedly harmed by the devastating floods for which there appears to be no remedy except self-help and overseas aid .
Mohammed Nurunobi. of Class V. aged 12 has his Fishing presenting a contented fisherman with the typical slnglette and lungl in yellow and loud checks to cover his derriere,
O^& M ^ with t^ | other fish In the pojjd. Sw irls of , pale and dark blue denote the water. Trees, bushes, sky and grass have been brought into the "far from the madding crowd" composition in promising sweeps and splashes. A house has been included in lines of horizontal lines of brown to denote the details. Corrugated sheets for the construction have also been suggested. Part of the paper is left untouched to balance the composition and lend a soothing element for the eye. This is a definitely a positive presentation of leisurely life and brings in the environment for romantic imagination to flow free .
In The Land of ihe Sea-Monsters. Kwhaja Md. Moinud-din, of Playgroup, aged 6. one finds a huge fish, crisscrossed with orange with a vermilion eye and tongue which is about to swallow up a house. This is again a superb presentation that speaks of flights of fancy The floating house Is sketched in red, while the waves of water are purplish-blue on white. In the backdrop Is a woman in orange. wearing a gray dress striped with red. while her facial features and flowing hair are done In midnight black. A tree and a house with orange windows and doors with a scarlet sunburst in the sky, and hints of greenery at the back speaks of a good insight Into rural life Meanwhile, the river in front adds cadence to the rhythmic creation in lilting hues. Safe Journey by Md Shahab. Class 3, aged 10. holds a farmer
pulling on to his bullock, whose private parts, horns, the tuft of hair on his tall are done In black. Ihe river In front contains a fish with orange tail, fins and scales .which are brought in by bright red checks. There is the conventional tree to the left with leaves of different shades of emerald and Jade of huge dimensions. The roots too have been exaggerated with impact. The ground Is contained by fiat strokes of more green, with delicate shrubs and trees Included in the backdrop. A white and purplish blue sky provides contrast to the rest of the composition.
Another Interesting creation is Waterless Desert by Runa Akhter. of Class 5. aged 10. dramatizes a man holding up his hands in despair. The subject's body is In beige and he has his brown and gray checked "lungl" hitched up to his knees with dejection and the onset of the overpowering heat. The empty vessel flung In anger to the side, decorated with careful geometrical motifs of red. beige and brown, with drops of water trickling out . The three date-palm trees to the right forefront with their careful delineation in brown, beige and black and the gray-green leaves . along with the flat strokes and the killing heat of the overhead sun SJ®j5!nWftls
^ r e r < ' <■ x r- .
Sun Under Water brings in a boat with delicate lines with a person in the usual slnglette and lungi with the black and brown boat with a fish In front done In orange and as large as the boat next to it. The vermilion sunburst at the back has a blue sky to offset it. In front we are faced with sweeps of water. Boat Taken by Fish brings in a red sail with black and brown for the boat and its wicker shade.
The Goethe Institut has performed a task that is admirable, humane and thoughtprovoking in arranging the painting exhibit of the promising art-oriented children. These young ones live in despicable circumstances, and their works are seldom show cased for the Dhaka elite and bourgeoisie to examine and take delight in.