Abdus Shakoor (born 31 December 1947) is a Bangladeshi painter and calligrapher.
Early life and career
Abdus Shakoor was born on 31 December 1947 in the
Bogra district
Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...
of Bangladesh. His work focuses on ancestral and historical themes, following in the folk-tradition of
Quamrul Hassan
Quamrul Hassan (, 1921–1988) was a Bengali artist. Hassan is referred to in Bangladesh as Potua, a word usually associated with folk artists, due to his down to earth style yet very modern in nature as he always added Cubism other than the fo ...
and
Jamini Roy
Jamini Roy (Bengali: যামিনী রায়) (11 April 1887 – 24 April 1972) was an Indian painter. He was honoured by the Government of India the award of Padma Bhushan in 1954. He remains one of the most famous pupils of Abani ...
.
Common themes in Abdus Shakoor's paintings include Bengali folk motifs and ballads; the "Mahua" and "Malua" love stories
(two romantic folk ballads from Eastern Bengal, dating back to around the 17th century, collected by
Dinesh Chandra Sen
Rai Bahadur Dinesh Chandra Sen ( bn, দীনেশ চন্দ্র সেন) (3 November 1866 – 20 November 1939)Sengupta, Subodh Chandra (ed.) (1988) ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (in Bengali), Kolkata: Sahitya Sansad, p.208 was a ...
in the 1920s and published in his ''
Eastern Bengal Ballads'')
as well as the ''
Nakshi Kanthar Math
''Nakshi Kanthar Math'' ( bn, নকশী কাঁথার মাঠ, lit=The Field of the Embroidered Quilt) is a dramatized Bengali verse narrative written by poet Jasimuddin published in 1928. The verse is considered a masterpiece in Bengali ...
''. He has illustrated his works with folk-motifs. Peacock and parrots as well as elephants, bulls, cats, tigers, serpents and lizards feature prominently in his works.
All of Abdus Shakoor's compositions are bordered with free-flowing thick brush lines. There is almost no hard line in the paintings. His style has been compared with European artists such as
Piet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (), after 1906 known as Piet Mondrian (, also , ; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being ...
and
Paul Klee
Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...
.
He is chairman of the Craft Department in the
Faculty of Fine Arts
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
at
Dhaka University
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
.
Legacy
Among the awards Abdus Shakoor has won is a gold medal in the 15th National Art Exhibition at the
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy ( bn, শিল্পকলা একাডেমি; National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts) is the principal state-sponsored national cultural center of Bangladesh.
History
It is the national academy of f ...
, Dhaka, in 2002.
References
Further reading
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External links
Online Gallery of Shakoor's works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdus Shakoor
Bangladeshi painters
1947 births
Living people