Creative and artistic designs were used in wooden doors, rectilinear door frames, windows, home decoration, furniture and more. Birds, animal forms, foliage and different parts of nature were used on the timber. The tradition had been on the wane for some time and by now it has become quite hard to find the existence of such craftsmen. It is widely known that woodcarving is a time consuming and labor-intensive work.

The medium has been practised in the Craft Department of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. But the genre of art did not acquire the spirit it was expected to. Fortunately, a few enthusiastic artists are now trying to rejuvenate the medium. Rajaul Islam is one of them. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. At present he lives and works in Rome. He is now jointly working with noted Italian artist Laolo. W. Tamburella. Rajaul has learned many delicate methods and techniques of woodcarving from him.

His current solo woodcarving exhibition, titled “Rejuvenation", is now on at Gallery Kaya in

Rajaul gives an artistic life to his creation. Observing trees, the artist easily comprehends how the branches can be used through his works. He has used metal plates, metal buttons and beads with wood. The texture of wood creates an eye-catching quality. He has pasted alphabets on wood in some of the pieces. His works replete with birds, trees and foliage, speak of rural and pastoral Bengal. Human forms are often merged with nature. The artist is skilled in sketching a blissful landscape. He engraves wood to express the splendour of birds and butterflies. His colours and forms keep telling us about Bangladesh and its splendid natural beauty.

There was no strong theme in customary woodcarving before in our country. Since the '90s, the panoramic beauty of rural Bengal and young couples became significantly noticeable in woodcarving. The woodcarvers raced to the contest of the painters, who work in two dimensions. Nowadays, woodcarvings have taken a prestigious place beside paintings. Woodcarvings also decorate doors and walls in a very artistic way. Art galleries and art shops have successfully made an impact on collectors' tastes with their collection of woodcarvings. Against a background of such reality, Rajaul has practiced this medium. His woodworks are a testimony to the fact that even after the branches of the tree have died, there is a possibility of them coming alive again.

The exhibition ends on February 7.