- Zainul Abedin
Zainul Abedin (
Bangla : জয়নুল আবেদিন) (1914-1976) was an artist fromBangladesh . Like many of his contemporaries, he was born inundivided India , and lived through the creation ofPakistan and finally the emergence of independentBangladesh . Abedin's paintings on theBengal famine of 1940s is probably his most characteristic work. In Bangladesh, he is often referred to as "Shilpacharya" (Great Teacher of the Arts).Early life and education
Zainul Abedin was born in
Mymensingh ,East Bengal , onDecember 29 1914 . Much of his childhood was spent near the scenic banks of theBrahmaputra River . The Brahmaputra would later appear in many of his paintings and be a source of inspiration all throughout his career. In 1933, Abedin was admitted toCalcutta Government Art School inKolkata . He joined the faculty of the school after his education there was completed. A series of watercolours that Zainul did as his tribute to the Brahmaputra River earned him the Governor's Gold Medal in an all-India exhibition in 1938. This award gave Abedin the confidence to create his own visual style.Famine Paintings
The man-made Great
Bengal Famine of 1943 moved Zainul deeply. He created his famine paintings, which, when exhibited in 1944, brought him even more critical acclaim. He was an influential member of theCalcutta Group of progressive artists.Abedin in Liberation Movement
Zainul Abedin was involved in all stages of the movement that finally made the creation of
Bangladesh possible. He was in the forefront of the cultural movement to re-establish theBengal i identity, marginalised by thePakistan government. In 1969, Abedin painted a scroll using Chinese ink, watercolour and wax namedNobanno . This was to celebrate the ongoing non-cooperation movement.Post-Independence Era
In 1975, he founded the Folk Art Museum at
Sonargaon , nearDhaka , and Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala, a gallery of his own works inMymensingh . Abedin developed lung cancer towards the end of his life and died onMay 28 1976 inDhaka . "Two faces" was his last painting, painted shortly before his demise.In 1982, 17 of the 70 pictures housed in Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala were stolen. Only 10 were later recovered.External links
* [http://banglapedia.org/HT/Z_0005.htm Banglapedia Article]
* [http://ethikana.com/gallery/painting.htm Painting by Shilpacharjya Zainul Abedin]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
