Unseen Splendour: Joarder discovers treasure trove

Abul Kashem Joarder, friend of legendary artist SM Sultan, serendipitously discovered a drawing book of a from a pile of books and papers left uncared for. A total of 86 unsigned sketches done  in charcoal and pencil were in Joarder’s possession, and now these are on displayed at Bengal Gallery with the title “Unseen Splendour.”    His hardships over decades about these drawings has now turned out be the true tale of Solomon’s treasure.   Each of the drawings are priced at more than Tk100,000, and in total, the artworks are worth more than Tk10m.    Joarder, a presidency graduate of geography, was a teacher at Michael Madhusudan College in Jessore in the fifties where he met Sultan, and the two became friends. Later Joarder moved to Dhaka’s Shiddheswari, and on a trip to Dhaka, Sultan stayed there for a few days. That was when he did the sketches.
   Joarder kept the sketch book for decades and then forgot about it.   He rediscovered it a few months ago, when his nephew Syed Aminul Haque Kaiser asked him about his days with Sultan.   Joarder shared: “I’m happy to get such an honour from Bengal Gallery.”   Art critic Moinuddin Khaled said to the Dhaka Tribune: “The show is a historical incident, because very little information is available about Sultan’s life in fifties and sixties, and his work during that time was totally unseen until this exhibition. Now a whole new dimension is created contextually to judge the rare genius of Sultan.”   Moinuddin said: “Due to the ravages of time, all the papers of the sketchbook have become sepia brown but the contours of the drawings are intact.”    “The bold lines of the sketches hold the signature of Sultan and the authenticity of these are beyond question,” he added.   The artworks mostly deal with well-built human figures in his signature style, with a rural backdrop. With simplicity, his solitary life surrounded by pets and wild animals in Narail was also reflected in a few displayed works.  The exhibition also features a flute hand-carved and used by Sultan himself.    The show will continue till October 11.