Zainul Abedin: A famous painter

Zainul Abedin (29 December, 1914 - 28 May, 1976) was a Bangladeshi painter. He had an extraordinary talent and was internationally recognized for his paintings. He became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings on the great man-made famine in Bengal during British Colonial rule. He played a vital role in the art movement in Bangladesh and was the founding Principal of the Government Institute of Arts (Now Faculty of Fine Arts) at University of Dhaka. His paintings on Bengal Famine are considered as his most characteristic works. His homeland honoured him with the title 'Shilpacharya', or the great teacher of arts for his artistic and visionary qualities. He was a pioneer of the modern art movement and was rightly considered as the founding father of Bangladeshi modern arts. Abedin was born in Kishoregonj on 29 December, 1914. He spent most of his childhood near the scenic banks of the Brahmaputra River. The river and the open nature inspired him from his early life. The Brahmaputra later appeared in many of his paintings and remained a great source of inspiration throughout his career. As his tribute to the river Brahmaputra, he drew a series of water colour paintings in this regard. This helped him earn Governor's Gold Medal in all India Exhibition in 1938. This was the first time when he came under spotlight and this award gave Abedin the confidence to create his own visual style. Abedin got admitted to the Government School of Art in Calcutta (Now Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, India). Here he learned European academic style for five years. Later he joined the faculty of the same school after his graduation. He was the first Muslim student to obtain 'First Class' with distinction from the school. In 1951, Zainul went to London to study at Slade School of Art for two years. From the dissatisfaction of oriental style and the limitations of European academic style, he was attracted to realism. After his return from London, he started a new style called 'Bengali Style'. Later he realized the limitations of 'Bengali Style'. Therefore, he went back to nature, rural life and the daily struggles of men to make art that would be realistic but modern in appearance.