The stream of consciousness in literature, typically manifest in Ulysses by James Joyce, revolutionized as did surrealism in art the conceptual framework of the aesthetic mind in the early part of the 20th century. With the grim realities of World War II hardly receding into the past, however, tangibility of the abstract in a new nuance of life became the trend, thus giving rise to contemporary art.

Oditi Shirleena Mostafa from ET Art, Culture and Entertainment Desk visited a recently held art exhibition and filed the following report.

ontemporary art with its magical colors and intriguing themes have always captured the imagination of the people around the world. In Bangladesh the vogue for it was set with Zainul Abedin and some of his colleagues opening an art school in Dhaka in 1948. Since then many outstanding works of art have been created. Great artists like Zainul Abedin, Shahabuddin and S.M. Sultan have not only enthralled us in Bangladesh with their masterpieces but have earned high acclaim and admiration internationally.

To celebrate the glorious fifty years of contemporary art in Bangladesh, a grand exhibition started at Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, on 13th March and continued until 19th March. In the inauguration ceremony Mr. Aminul Islam, a famous artist, was present as Chief Guest while Mr. Syed Jahangir, an artist and former Director of Shilpakala Academy, and Her Excellency the Ambassador of Royal Netherlands Mrs. Bea ten Tuscher were present as Special Guests.

The exhibition was a rare occasion for both local and foreign art lovers to look and marvel at great paintings, sculptures and photographs. Paintings by legendary artists like S.M. Sultan, Zainul Abedin, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Devdas Chakraborty and Syed Jahangir Qumrul Hassan hanging on the wall looked gorgeous as the glow of light fell on them. The paintings had more than magical strokes of paintbrush to them; there were meanings hidden behind the colors; they talked about love, beauty, peace and passion.

Also on display were statues made of different materials: wood, steel, cement and so on.

An exceptional creation of Tejosh Halder Josh was a set of statues of a teacher and seven students made of cement, which many visitors admired profusely. The black and white photograph collections of Chandra Shekhar Dey, Golam Kashem Daddy and a few others reflected both professional expertise and a deep artistic sense. All in all, the exhibition was a superb treat to every art lover for it brought the greatest paintings and statues by some famous artists under the same roof.