A complete picture of Ruposhi Bangla

In the poem ‘Tintern Abbey’, William Wordsworth says: “Nature never did betray, the heart that loved her.” This quote here perfectly describes artist Mokhlesur Rahman, who loves nature and paints the beauty of Bangladesh. His paintings draw the viewers close to nature, and one gets a complete picture of beautiful Bangladesh from them.         

“My paintings are all about nature. I paint nature from different angles of view. I have had a great connection with nature from my childhood days. From that experience, I have tried to present it in my way,” Rahman, 55, said at the opening of his solo painting exhibition, ‘Ruposhi Bangla’ (Beautiful Bengal), in Dhaka recently. 
“I want people to know about the beauty of Bangladesh. From my paintings, art lovers and visitors will see my love for nature, and I hope they will, too, start to love the beauty of our nature,” the artist, who was born in rural Shariatpur in central Bangladesh, added.  
Guests and visitors at the show agreed.
“I think I can see the natural beauty of Bangladesh which is illustrated a little bit through his paintings. Personally, I am very surprised to visit places outside of Dhaka. By being here today, I can feel almost the same emotions that I feel during those visits,” Pierre Mayaudon, ambassador of the European Union in Dhaka, said while inaugurating the exhibition at  Shilpangan Art Gallery in Dhanmondi on January 28.
Describing the artist’s painting style, Rashid Amir, professor of Fine Arts at Jagannath University, said, “Mainly, Rahman has been working with woodcut and printmaking for many years. He has tried to depict the perfect beauty of Bangladesh in his works. His paintings are the hallmarks of nature. One must come here and see them with their own eyes.”  
“The paintings of Mokhlesur Rahman have introduced the beauty of Bangladesh to me afresh. He depicts the beauty of nature perfectly,” Mohammad Gias Uddin, a 55-year-old businessman from Zigatola, said while talking to this correspondent. 
“By loving nature, he has captured the natural beauty of Bangladesh. That is why his paintings help us to love nature profoundly. If the natural beauty of each district is captured in paintings like this, then our new generation will learn a lot about our beloved country,” S Rahman Tipu, another visitor who came from Jatrabari, said.
Describing the subject matter of Rahman’s paintings, Niaz Rahman, the artist’s son, said: “My father started thinking about art from his childhood. Most of his early days were spent in the village. There, he observed different dimensions of nature. More or less, his subject matter is quite the same. And that is the nature of Bangladesh. His favourite medium is woodcut printing. But this time, he has given emphasis on paintings.”                                                                                                                                          About the theme of his exhibition, Rahman explained: “What’s the symbol of Bengal? Yes, Bengal has so many features and they can be seen in many ways. I have given the name ‘Ruposhi Bangla’ because it has many dimensions. The beauty of nature is limitless.  It never runs out. One who beholds the limitless beauty of nature can depict it as supernatural. I wanted to do so.” 
“My theme is nature. Everything in my paintings is based on nature. Say, one of my works is called ‘Shuvo Jatra’ (good journey). Here, a boatman sits on his boat and tries to set sail. It is early morning, when he is waiting for a new trip. So, I have given this title. But the boatman or the boat is not important to me. The most important thing here is to present the different aspects of the scenery,” he added. 
Pointing to a group of paintings, the artist described: “This is another painting where a man is going outside with his cow at dawn. That is not important at all. The important thing is to depict its beauty. There is another painting on monsoon where I have painted its beauty. I am a lover of songs. So, you may find songs in many of my paintings. You can also see my paintings dancing, as I am fond of dance, too. In a nutshell, these artworks express my attitude, imagination and love for the nature of dear Bangladesh. Actually, I try to highlight the positive side of nature. If my efforts have any impact on the human mind, they will surely love Bangladesh and her nature.” 
Apart from printmaking, Rahman also uses acrylic, watercolours and oil paint in his works. Some 35 artworks are on display at the artist’s 8th solo exhibition. Rahman, who won the grand prize at the 10th Asian Art Biennale in 2001, has participated in many joint exhibitions both at home and abroad, including the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. 
The two-week long exhibition will end on February 10 and it is open from 3pm-8pm. 

Photos: Courtesy

A complete picture of Ruposhi Bangla

In the poem Tintern Abbey, William Wordsworth says: Nature never did betray, the heart that loved her. This quote here perfectly describes artist Mokhlesur Rahman, who loves nature and paints the beauty of Bangladesh. His paintings draw the viewers close to nature, and one gets a complete picture of beautiful Bangladesh from them. My paintings are all about nature. I paint nature from different angles of view. I have had a great connection with nature from my childhood days. From that experience, I have tried to present it in my way, Rahman, 55, said at the opening of his solo painting exhibition, Ruposhi Bangla (Beautiful Bengal), in Dhaka recently. I want people to know about the beauty of Bangladesh. From my paintings, art lovers and visitors will see my love for nature, and I hope they will, too, start to love the beauty of our nature, the artist, who was born in rural Shariatpur in central Bangladesh, added. Guests and visitors at the show agreed. I think I can see the natural beauty of Bangladesh which is illustrated a little bit through his paintings. Personally, I am very surprised to visit places outside of Dhaka. By being here today, I can feel almost the same emotions that I feel during those visits, Pierre Mayaudon, ambassador of the European Union in Dhaka, said while inaugurating the exhibition at Shilpangan Art Gallery in Dhanmondi on January 28. Describing the artists painting style, Rashid Amir, professor of Fine Arts at Jagannath University, said, Mainly, Rahman has been working with woodcut and printmaking for many years. He has tried to depict the perfect beauty of Bangladesh in his works. His paintings are the hallmarks of nature. One must come here and see them with their own eyes. The paintings of Mokhlesur Rahman have introduced the beauty of Bangladesh to me afresh. He depicts the beauty of nature perfectly, Mohammad Gias Uddin, a 55-year-old businessman from Zigatola, said while talking to this correspondent. By loving nature, he has captured the natural beauty of Bangladesh. That is why his paintings help us to love nature profoundly. If the natural beauty of each district is captured in paintings like this, then our new generation will learn a lot about our beloved country, S Rahman Tipu, another visitor who came from Jatrabari, said. Describing the subject matter of Rahmans paintings, Niaz Rahman, the artists son, said: My father started thinking about art from his childhood. Most of his early days were spent in the village. There, he observed different dimensions of nature. More or less, his subject matter is quite the same. And that is the nature of Bangladesh. His favourite medium is woodcut printing. But this time, he has given emphasis on paintings. About the theme of his exhibition, Rahman explained: Whats the symbol of Bengal? Yes, Bengal has so many features and they can be seen in many ways. I have given the name Ruposhi Bangla because it has many dimensions. The beauty of nature is limitless. It never runs out. One who beholds the limitless beauty of nature can depict it as supernatural. I wanted to do so. My theme is nature. Everything in my paintings is based on nature. Say, one of my works is called Shuvo Jatra (good journey). Here, a boatman sits on his boat and tries to set sail. It is early morning, when he is waiting for a new trip. So, I have given this title. But the boatman or the boat is not important to me. The most important thing here is to present the different aspects of the scenery, he added. Pointing to a group of paintings, the artist described: This is another painting where a man is going outside with his cow at dawn. That is not important at all. The important thing is to depict its beauty. There is another painting on monsoon where I have painted its beauty. I am a lover of songs. So, you may find songs in many of my paintings. You can also see my paintings dancing, as I am fond of dance, too. In a nutshell, these artworks express my attitude, imagination and love for the nature of dear Bangladesh. Actually, I try to highlight the positive side of nature. If my efforts have any impact on the human mind, they will surely love Bangladesh and her nature. Apart from printmaking, Rahman also uses acrylic, watercolours and oil paint in his works. Some 35 artworks are on display at the artists 8th solo exhibition. Rahman, who won the grand prize at the 10th Asian Art Biennale in 2001, has participated in many joint exhibitions both at home and abroad, including the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. The two-week long exhibition will end on February 10 and it is open from 3pm-8pm. Photos: Courtesy