The third solo art exhibition by Zahangir Alom titled ‘Songs of Soul’ has begun at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka, Dhanmondi in the capital.
The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition was held on November 3 on the gallery premises. Society for Promotion of Bangladesh Art's Board of Governors Member Anis A Khan, Art Bangla Foundation Chairman Prof. Mohammad Eunus, Shasha Denims Limited Director Zareen Mahmud Hosein, Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art Prof. Dr Malay Bala attended the inaugural ceremony as the special guests.
Artist Zahangir Alom paints from the core of his heart, intoxicated by the festival of creative pleasures. Having worked as 'Resident Artist' of Oriental Painting Studio for a long time, he has developed his own style of watercolour wash technique. The maturity of colour mixing is the unique quality of his painting. Some of his works are semi-abstract. The mature arrangement of colours in the painting can be seen in conjunction with the maturity of his senses.
The melody of the music, the rhythm of the poem and the dance of the female body are alluded to in his paintings. Sometimes ‘Gaudiya Nritya’, sometimes ‘Desh’, sometimes ‘Bageshree’, sometimes ‘Khamaj’ or ‘Malkauns’ raga; sometimes the play of clouds, sometimes the afternoon of Late-Autumn, sometimes magical twilight, sometimes the beauty of Bengal, sometimes ‘Leelakirtan’, sometimes the subject-narrative of mythological anecdotes play in his paintings.
He paints many images of flowers which do not exactly resemble real flowers. Here the colour comes with the charming message of form. The itinerant artist’s work celebrates the visible nature, but his view of nature is not a close-up view. He made series paintings based on the motifs of Bengal’s Sarachitra - which are mixed with the new language of Bengali folk paintings. The inner flowers, female figures, trees and foliage are arranged in an imagined alchemy. Although the painting is a traditional wash method, the painting is full of three-dimensional mixed colour play.
This exhibition includes works in the watercolour wash technique. The shape of the figure is similar to heap of clouds in the movement of colours. There is no attempt at clarification, but the figures (mostly female figures) give the appearance of real flesh figures. This skill has been acquired through his long practice and watching the work of oriental artists in the studio.
In most of his works, he has used red, blue, yellow, orange and black colours with the same brightness. There remain the expanse of standing trees, the glimmer of light through the gaps in the trees and the evocative silhouettes of childhood memories in his paintings. Almost every work has a touch of blue. The Monsoon, rain-drenched nature, the smell of the earth and the colour of the air are saturated in the melody of nature’s music.
The exhibition will remain open to all Monday to Saturday, from 3 to 9 pm (closed on Sunday), until November 11.
