“Somvabona” or Potentiality is an Award-winning painting by Ahmed Shamsuddoha. In this 2007 painting, he uses surrealism to convey the deep message of hope. A hope that, if a mushroom can grow on an inhospitable place like stone, we too can overcome any hurdle in life. It depicts our strength, our potential and our capability as individuals. It shows if only we have faith, we can succeed in dealing with any hardship. In a time when nothing is certain and anything can happen, he tells us to believe good things can happen too. Instead of portraying grief, turmoil or depression of his time, he is generating a wave of possibility, positivity and hope.
Artist Profile
Ahmed Shamsuddoha
Ahmed Shamsuddoha was born in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh, in 1958. Bengal’s scenic beauty, bucolic panoramas, the rivers, life in Old Dhaka, and the ravages of the flood have long been the subjects of his paintings He graduated in Drawing and Painting from the Bangladesh College of Arts and Crafts, Dhaka, in 1980. Shamsuddoha set out as a landscape painter but eventually moved to surrealism in the early nineties. His awards include the Grameen Phone Award; 17th National Art Exhibition, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, 2007; Bengal Foundation Award, 16th National Art Exhibition Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, 2005; S M Sultan Grand Award, Silver Jubilee of Saju Art Gallery, Dhaka, 1999. Shamsuddoha is a freelance artist who lives and works in Dhaka.
Somvabona
Artist Art Style
Shamsuddoha started off with landscapes but eventually moved to surrealistic paintings and he prefers oil colors for his canvas. He also works with watercolor, pastel, and charcoal mediums. Among the colors, the artist prefers yellow, blue, and green. There are a few common motifs that frequently feature in Shamsuddoha’s canvas.