A talented young artist
Sultan Ishtiaque, 23, is a promising young artist who has already made a vibrant presence in our art scene. Though he is yet to complete his studies, he has already shown glimpses of his talent in his chosen field. He is an active artist, regularly participating in group shows, national painting exhibitions and international expositions. He enjoys painting realistic forms. He finished his Bachelors in Fine Arts from Dhaka Universitys fine arts faculty and is working on his Masters degree.
YI recently met him for an interview.
How did you get into painting?
I spent most of my childhood looking at paintings by old masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Gustave Courbet and many others in books, and as a result, I got attracted to painting. Then I started doing landscapes in watercolour and oil. I did a lot of beautiful landscape paintings in those days. Thats how it all started.
How would you define your art?
I do believe that I am a realistic artist, and my work is also influenced by impressionism and surrealism. I try to mixed realism, impressionism and surrealism in my paintings. I am also a spot painter, I dont believe in copying from photographs. I love to draw from life. It feels great to paint when my subjects are in front me.
What are your favourite subjects to paint?
I love to draw my surroundings. I have grown up in one of the busiest and unplanned cities of this country. Everyday, I have to face traffic jams, narrow streets and crowds. Themes of my paintings are cityscape, unplanned urbanization, old buildings, daily life in Old Dhaka, diverse moments in the dockyard, they are all my subjects.
What is your favourite medium and what is it about that particular medium that you favour?
My favourite medium is watercolour, I get extra advantage from it. I am already mastering this medium. I have also done oil painting and acrylic painting. My favourite colours are ultramarine, cerulean blue, Prussian blue, burnt sienna, permanent orange and yellow ochre. Most of the time, I use ultramarine, permanent orange and sienna.
Please tell us something about your second solo exhibition.
My second solo painting show is called The Melancholy of Urban Life. It is being held at the Alliance Franaise de Dhaka and will go on till next Friday (Sept 18). About 40 of my works in different mediums are on display.
From the beginning, I have been working in pencil, watercolour and oil. Over the years, themes of my works have changed, but urban subjects are always my focus. Beauty of nature, harsh reality of society, wrecked houses, historical buildings, large ships of the Buriganga River, labourers and their daily chores, downtrodden people and their regular lives, traffic jams of Dhaka city, wounded people under collapsed buildings are my subjects.
I want to express my experience in these paintings. Observing the subjects from different angles and trying to portray them on canvas. I feel an artist can select his subjects by traveling to different places and intensely observing peoples lives, nature, flora and fauna and more.
Would you name some of the exhibitions in which you have participated?
I have taken part in many group exhibitions so far. My first solo exhibition Ultramarine was held at the La Galerie in Alliance Francise de Dhaka in 2014. The exhibition received good response the art connoisseurs.
Who are your inspirations? What famous artists have influenced you, and how?
Well, it is very tough to pick a name. There are many artists nowadays whose work is brilliant and inspiring. My inspirations are impressionist artists like Monet, Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne and John Constable. I am also fond of Rembrandt and Turner.
What do you think of the art scene in Bangladesh?
The present state of art in Bangladesh is good. Positively speaking, there is a huge interest among the youth about arts and crafts. One negative thing is that although there is an abundance of art schools and institutions, many of the budding artists are more obsessed with fame and fortune, rather than pursuing their dreams. I believe art must come from the heart, and only then can a painter feel the spirit of things.
Where do you see yourself after 2020?
In future, I want to see myself as a good artist who will travel all around the globe and will do many paintings and exhibitions.
