Culture and heritage serve to express our identity, as well as that of the artists dedicated to reviving our folk and traditional arts.
Abdus Shakoor Shah is one such artist, widely acknowledged for his folk motifs and ballads. Throughout his extensive career, Shakoor has focused on folk motifs and ancient ballads.
The folk ballads of Mymensingh, including the renowned love stories of Mahua and Malua, Nakshi Kanthar Maath, Gazir Pata, and Manasha Pata, have been prominently featured in his paintings. In his artworks, he outstandingly displays peacocks and parrots. Additionally, Shakoor incorporates various animals such as elephants, bulls, dogs, cats, tigers, birds, serpents, and reptiles, all serving as delightful and decorative motifs.
Different kinds of fish and floral representations are also incorporated into his creations.
A significant number of his artworks focus on the themes surrounding Bangladeshi village women, encompassing their love stories, tragedies, aspirations, anxieties, and narratives of daily existence infused with romantic creativity. The pieces, characterised by a dominance of black and brown hues, alongside striking vermilion and gold, harmonise with shades of blue and green. Additionally, Shakoor incorporates elements such as flowers, birds, animals, and reptiles, including lizards and venomous snakes.
Abdus Shakoor Shah was born in 1946 in Bogura. He was immersed in its vibrant cultural environment and stunning natural scenery as he grew up. He took great pleasure in traditional fairs and religious celebrations, including puja and Moharram, along with the lively atmosphere that accompanied them. The colour patterns and designs of traditional dolls, artifacts, and household items consistently captivated him. He believed these influences were somehow embedded in him since his childhood.
Shakoor obtained his primary and secondary education from the local school situated in his village. He completed his Intermediate at Government Azizul Haque College in Bogura. In 1965, he was admitted to East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts, which is now known as the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in the Drawing and Painting Department in 1970.
Subsequently, he took on the role of a lecturer at Sylhet Residential Model College, currently referred to as Sylhet Cadet College. In 1976, Shakoor became a lecturer at the Government Teachers' Training College in Chittagong.
That same year, he was awarded the Indian Government Scholarship to pursue a postgraduate diploma in mural design at MS University in Baroda, India. While there, he became involved with the Revivalist Group, which sought to rejuvenate the tradition of indigenous and ethnic art. During this period, he participated in exhibitions at the Bombay Art Society, Gujarat Lalit Kala Academy, and Baroda Municipal Corporation.
In 1977, he became the first Bangladeshi artist to receive the Gujarat Lalit Kala Academy Award. Throughout this time, he explored various mediums, including sand casting, tapestry, relief work, fresco, and tempera.
After returning from Baroda in 1978, Shakoor engaged in abstraction for a period. During this phase of his career, he focused on themes such as inequality, political hypocrisy, deceit, and debauchery within society. He discovered that abstract patterns were a fitting medium for expressing his indignation. Additionally, he aimed to illustrate the pain and suffering experienced by people through his depictions of broken huts and shattered windows.
However, it was primarily through the use of colour that he sought to convey the distress of these individuals. Regrettably, both critics and his fellow artists appeared to show little interest in his work during that time.
During that time, Shakoor also re-entered the Government Teachers' Training College in Chittagong. In 1980, he made a transfer to the Bangladesh Government College of Arts and Crafts (presently the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka) to serve as a lecturer.
The Craft Department of Fine Arts underwent modifications and modernisation under Shakoor's influence. He instructed students in hand weaving, sand casting, and fresco techniques.
Before the 1990s, Shakoor focused on various subjects, including pure abstraction, semi-abstraction, issues related to the Third World, the Liberation War, and malaria. However, he felt unable to express his thoughts adequately. Unexpectedly, he discovered a new subject of interest.
He encountered a Shital Pati in the Ceramics Department, where he was confronted by various animal forms, particularly the tiger and peacock. In 1991, Japan hosted an open art competition in which Shakoor took part. He created drawings featuring tigers and peacocks adorned with folk motifs.
He submitted these artworks to Japan, which were subsequently selected for an award. He was honoured to receive the award from Japan.
This marked the beginning of his exploration into folk art. He embraced folk art as a means of both sustenance and survival. Through folk art, he has discovered the strength to restore his self-belief and redefine his artistic language. He is relishing his engagement with folk and indigenous art. He sees no reason to depart from this path in search of new sources of inspiration. He is committed to experimentation and believes that his exploration of the folk domain is far from complete. His artistic ambition is to elevate folk designs and patterns to even greater heights within the realm of fine art.
Shakoor now believes that his critics provided him with a significant benefit by evaluating his initial endeavors.
During that time, he felt sad and isolated. He sought out new forms of artistic expression. He committed to avoiding following the paths of established artists and began exploring folk museums in both Bangladesh and Kolkata. Additionally, he made extensive visits to the Gurusaday Museum in Kolkata.
This museum boasts a remarkable collection of around 3,300 stunning exhibits of folk arts and crafts, which vividly showcase the energy and essence of rural life while also illustrating the art, social traditions, religious beliefs, practices, and motifs, along with aesthetic integration and cultural influences.
At a certain time, Shakoor reconnected with the works of Jamini Roy and became deeply absorbed in them for a period. Quamrul Hasan was also a significant source of inspiration for him. Evaluating the creations of established artists confirmed to him that he was progressing in the correct direction. Their influence uplifted his spirits. He began to understand that it was feasible to steer his art away from the confines of Western modernism. Fragments of images from his childhood memories, filled with the colors of the world and patterns of folk artifacts, started to resurface. Before long, he found himself mentally ready to explore new realms of expression.
Shakoor's artwork transcends mere illustrations of traditional ballads. He stylistically incorporates calligraphy onto his canvas, often featuring human figures alongside birds and animals. Each piece conveys a complete narrative that conceals our identity.
In certain paintings, creatures such as birds, snakes, and elephants are depicted. The presence of tigers and a centrally placed elephant highlights the beauty of rural landscapes, where birds, flowers, cattle, and snakes harmoniously blend to form a stunning natural tableau.
The paintings possess a primitive essence while simultaneously exhibiting modern execution. The lines employed are not necessarily stylised; rather, they reflect a child's interactive spirit with bold outlines. The treatment of these lines is straightforward and unrefined, providing an authentic illustrative quality to the artworks as a whole. The artist typically works with four mediums: ink-drawing, opaque watercolor, acrylic, and oil. Among these, he predominantly favors 'opaque-watercolor' and acrylic, having also utilized gouache in a series of his works.
Shakoor consistently incorporates new elements (including the stitch work of traditional quilts created by village women and the characteristics of alpana) to enhance their visual attractiveness.
The edges of the compositions display a vibrant, repetitive pattern reminiscent of traditional scroll paintings (such as Gazir Pata or Manshar Pata). He employs flat, earthy tones alongside vivid colors to highlight the contrast between romance and reality, as well as life and death. The majority of Shakoor's current work
exhibit this reimagined style.
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Shakoor believes that he endeavours to represent his country through his artwork. When his pieces are exhibited in various galleries around the world, any foreign observer can easily recognise that these paintings originate from this sub-continent.
His aim is to ensure that any viewer can glance at his work and immediately identify that these scenes depict Bangladesh. His primary colours are blue, black, and red, which impart a meditative quality to the characters, outlined by black and white lines against vibrant backgrounds.
The treatment of his figures in some paintings, bordered by delicate black lines, is rich in gestures and emotions, evoking a sense of ancient scripture in his art. His ink drawings are executed in contour, with a sense of space in the background, which lends the composition a resemblance to portraits.
Through Shakoor's dynamic brushstrokes and malleable textures, the canvas acquires a lively and energetic appearance. He has achieved a mysterious quality in his paintings that resonates on multiple levels, from the visual to the subconscious. A critical examination of his works evokes the impression that his acrylic mimics the typical tonalities of watercolors – gentle and seemingly translucent. Tranquility serves as a crucial element in Shakoor's creations. The subjects depicted in his works convey a sense of melancholy, which is consistently emphasised. The interaction of light and shadow has been exceptionally highlighted in his pieces.
Shakoor's artworks showcase a celebration of triumph and expansive vision. He derives joy from painting what inspires his creative spirit, allowing him to convey a personal language through colours and figurative representations. His themes consistently honour the magnificence of life. In this process, the audience also gains insight into the artist's unique personality and emotional state.
Space holds immense importance in Shakoor's artwork, serving as the primary allure of his creations. He possesses a remarkable talent for depicting mass, volume, and texture, while also crafting sensitive and exceptional compositions. For art enthusiasts, his paintings offer a fresh and captivating aesthetic, granting viewers a profound sense of enjoyment. His works are vibrant representations of his thorough exploration of the subjects he portrays. His drawings and sketches are animated and reveal an appropriate level of restraint.
Shakoor consistently selects a specific language to convey the narratives behind his paintings vividly. He has been passionately examining the movements of figures and the organisation of objects for an extended period. In this regard, the artist exercises great care in his objects and the arrangement of figures.
Shakoor embodies both a workaholic nature and a scholarly approach. Throughout the years, he has persistently engaged in experimentation. His detailed descriptions of various animal forms and human figures impart a fresh significance to his artworks. Each of his exhibitions showcases a unique perspective. The artist is consistently motivated to discover new concepts. This pursuit alleviates monotony for him, and he holds the belief that art can be enhanced through innovative experimentation.
Abdus Shakoor has been honoured with several accolades, which stand as clear evidence of his remarkable abilities. He has garnered several national and international awards, such as the Best Prize at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Gujarat in 1977, the Excellence Award in Tokyo, Japan in 1991, the Runner-up Prize at the International Noma Concours (ACCU) Competition in Tokyo in 2000, the Sultan Award in Bangladesh, as well as the Honourable Award and Gold Medal for the National Exhibition in Bangladesh.
He was also awarded the Civitella Ranieri Fellowships in Italy and received the Diploma Certificate from the Poland Print Biennial. Shakoor has held sixteen solo exhibitions and has participated in over one hundred and fifty group exhibitions both domestically and internationally, including in the USA, England, Poland, Argentina, Japan, France, China, Iran, Panama, Italy, and India.
Abdus Shakoor is fortunate to have a son and a daughter, along with a grandson and a granddaughter.
Takir Hossain is an art critic and cultural curator.
