Rashid Amin’s Monsoon Raga

The villages of our country hold a unique look during the rainy season, which inspire artists to paint the beauty of nature. But artist Rashid Amin depicts the beauty of rain on his canvas through reflecting his deep imagination.  His recent solo exhibition, titled ‘Megh Mollar’ (monsoon raga), surly made visitors nostalgic about the beauty of rain in natural settings.

“The name of this exhibition is ‘Megh Mollar’, which is related to rain. The main medium used here is water colour. So, we get the visual impact of raining from his paintings,” said Fahema Ahmed, 27, a freelance artist who was visiting the show at Shilpangan Art Gallery in the city. “The freshness of nature after torrential rains is visible here and that touches the heart of viewers. Anyone can feel the emotion of raining, which I myself felt when I saw the paintings.”

Iqbal Bahar, 32, another freelance artist, added: “It is difficult to remark on his works. He did the paintings through deep realisation, for self-satisfaction. Many artists seem to serve public demands nowadays. But he has come out of this trend and drawn pictures on his own accord.”

The artist, Rashid Amin, said he was inspired by his environment and upbringing to paint since his childhood. “There was a cultural atmosphere in my family. My elder brothers and sisters were involved in cultural activities. I drew pictures in my early years and my father inspired me a lot. But when I went to get enrolled for a fine arts degree, my parents did not like it. They advised me to study some other subject in which I could have a bright career,” Amin, 51, told this correspondent.  

The artist added that anyone interested in studying fine arts had to face the same barriers in those days. But his siblings supported him and thus, he became a student of Dhaka University’s Fine Arts Department in 1983. Later on, he got a Chinese government scholarship and got his doctorate degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2011. Chinese painting techniques inspire him and he tries his best to display those skills on his canvases.

“Besides printmaking, I continued practising with water colours. Every summer vacation, I went to my village with painting materials and accessories. Our village house is big, and it has a large veranda. There are many trees which make the surroundings beautiful,” Amin said.

Amin was born on November 12, 1966 at Vabandatta village in Ghatail upazila of Tangail district. His father, Harunur Rashid Khan, was a local postmaster. Thus, he had sweet memories of letters and envelopes. He has four brothers and three sisters. His elder brother, Mamunur Rashid, is a renowned actor, director and dramatist, always guides him.

Amin, who is now an assistant professor at the Department of Fine Arts and Graphics of Jagannath University in Dhaka, teaches art history, aesthetics, printmaking and drawing.

“Actually, my artistic ways started during my schooldays as I was involved in juvenile literature clubs, like Khelaghor, Kochi Kachar Mela and others. I took part in art competitions arranged by the clubs every year. They also held fortnightly literary discussions, which helped me to understand contemporary literatures,” the artist said.

Regarding the background of his latest paintings, Amin shared: “In 2015, I was enjoying torrential rains at my country house, sitting on the veranda. I observed the beauty of rain. Then, I thought about drawing it on canvas. I have done naturalistic work before as it was included in my academic syllabus. But that time, I gave importance to my imagination and started experimenting on canvas. It became my passion and I continued the work till 2018. I was eager to exhibit these paintings in the rainy season.”

“Generally, rain conjures up images of a river, boats and other natural things. But in these works, I have experimented with water, paper and colours to draw the emotions of rain. I tried to display the colour of rain from my mind’s eye. I also tried to use water colours in different ways and show people its various usages. Visitors will feel the emotion of rain. They will judge whether I have been successful or not.”

Babul Hossain, 24, a final year student of the Department of Painting at Jagannath University, said: “I am a student of his. He advises us to draw pictures of what we think. We saw some of the paintings from this exhibition earlier on his Facebook page as he posted them when painting. He did the work in the rain. It feels good seeing those painting with my own eyes. His spontaneous and fluid uses of different colours, like green, yellow, blue and more, on the canvas create an emotional presence which can only be realised through deep imagination. We can see from his paintings that rain has its own colour. It can only be realised when rain drops hit green grass, trees, algae in water bodies, and others natural elements.”

Sorna Saha, 22, another student of the department, added: “Today, the weather is very hot outside. But when I entered the exhibition hall and saw his works, I felt the environment of rain. Each painting gives me pleasure and helps me realise drops of rain and their beauty.”

“I am also working on lithography and etching. My first solo exhibition was held in 1991 at the Goethe Institute in Dhaka. This is my 11th solo show. I have also taken part in numerous group exhibitions at home and abroad,” Amin said.

There were 46 water colour paintings and prints on display at his latest exhibition, which ran from August 3 to 16. n

Photos: Courtesy.

Rashid Amins Monsoon Raga

The villages of our country hold a unique look during the rainy season, which inspire artists to paint the beauty of nature. But artist Rashid Amin depicts the beauty of rain on his canvas through reflecting his deep imagination. His recent solo exhibition, titled Megh Mollar (monsoon raga), surly made visitors nostalgic about the beauty of rain in natural settings. The name of this exhibition is Megh Mollar, which is related to rain. The main medium used here is water colour. So, we get the visual impact of raining from his paintings, said Fahema Ahmed, 27, a freelance artist who was visiting the show at Shilpangan Art Gallery in the city. The freshness of nature after torrential rains is visible here and that touches the heart of viewers. Anyone can feel the emotion of raining, which I myself felt when I saw the paintings. Iqbal Bahar, 32, another freelance artist, added: It is difficult to remark on his works. He did the paintings through deep realisation, for self-satisfaction. Many artists seem to serve public demands nowadays. But he has come out of this trend and drawn pictures on his own accord. The artist, Rashid Amin, said he was inspired by his environment and upbringing to paint since his childhood. There was a cultural atmosphere in my family. My elder brothers and sisters were involved in cultural activities. I drew pictures in my early years and my father inspired me a lot. But when I went to get enrolled for a fine arts degree, my parents did not like it. They advised me to study some other subject in which I could have a bright career, Amin, 51, told this correspondent. The artist added that anyone interested in studying fine arts had to face the same barriers in those days. But his siblings supported him and thus, he became a student of Dhaka Universitys Fine Arts Department in 1983. Later on, he got a Chinese government scholarship and got his doctorate degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2011. Chinese painting techniques inspire him and he tries his best to display those skills on his canvases. Besides printmaking, I continued practising with water colours. Every summer vacation, I went to my village with painting materials and accessories. Our village house is big, and it has a large veranda. There are many trees which make the surroundings beautiful, Amin said. Amin was born on November 12, 1966 at Vabandatta village in Ghatail upazila of Tangail district. His father, Harunur Rashid Khan, was a local postmaster. Thus, he had sweet memories of letters and envelopes. He has four brothers and three sisters. His elder brother, Mamunur Rashid, is a renowned actor, director and dramatist, always guides him. Amin, who is now an assistant professor at the Department of Fine Arts and Graphics of Jagannath University in Dhaka, teaches art history, aesthetics, printmaking and drawing. Actually, my artistic ways started during my schooldays as I was involved in juvenile literature clubs, like Khelaghor, Kochi Kachar Mela and others. I took part in art competitions arranged by the clubs every year. They also held fortnightly literary discussions, which helped me to understand contemporary literatures, the artist said. Regarding the background of his latest paintings, Amin shared: In 2015, I was enjoying torrential rains at my country house, sitting on the veranda. I observed the beauty of rain. Then, I thought about drawing it on canvas. I have done naturalistic work before as it was included in my academic syllabus. But that time, I gave importance to my imagination and started experimenting on canvas. It became my passion and I continued the work till 2018. I was eager to exhibit these paintings in the rainy season. Generally, rain conjures up images of a river, boats and other natural things. But in these works, I have experimented with water, paper and colours to draw the emotions of rain. I tried to display the colour of rain from my minds eye. I also tried to use water colours in different ways and show people its various usages. Visitors will feel the emotion of rain. They will judge whether I have been successful or not. Babul Hossain, 24, a final year student of the Department of Painting at Jagannath University, said: I am a student of his. He advises us to draw pictures of what we think. We saw some of the paintings from this exhibition earlier on his Facebook page as he posted them when painting. He did the work in the rain. It feels good seeing those painting with my own eyes. His spontaneous and fluid uses of different colours, like green, yellow, blue and more, on the canvas create an emotional presence which can only be realised through deep imagination. We can see from his paintings that rain has its own colour. It can only be realised when rain drops hit green grass, trees, algae in water bodies, and others natural elements. Sorna Saha, 22, another student of the department, added: Today, the weather is very hot outside. But when I entered the exhibition hall and saw his works, I felt the environment of rain. Each painting gives me pleasure and helps me realise drops of rain and their beauty. I am also working on lithography and etching. My first solo exhibition was held in 1991 at the Goethe Institute in Dhaka. This is my 11th solo show. I have also taken part in numerous group exhibitions at home and abroad, Amin said. There were 46 water colour paintings and prints on display at his latest exhibition, which ran from August 3 to 16. n Photos: Courtesy.