Hashem Khan in “Season-Rainy” painted the beauty and essence of the rainy season. He painted the sky covered with a thick layer of clouds, the world through the filter of the gloomy rainy day, and managed to depict the melancholy. Mostly painted in blue, he adds some bright colors here and there and captured the rainy day as it is.
In this 2002 painting, he celebrates the rainy season of Bangladesh. He cherishes the time and nature of the season and brings back the fond memories regarding this. “Season-Rainy” is his love letter the country he lives in, the air he breathes in, and the time he spent being mesmerized by its beauty.
Artist Profile
Hashem Khan
Born on 16 April 1941, he is one of the prominent figures in Bangladesh. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, the University of Dhaka in 1961. He received training in book design and Illustration from ACCU, Tokyo, in 1979. He was a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts for 44 years. He retired in 2007. Khan is a founder member of the Dhaka City Museum. His contribution to the cause of children is widely recognised. He has also authored several books. Hashem Khan received the Ekushey Padak in 1992 and the Independence Day Award in 2011. A freelance artist and social activist, Hashem Khan lives and works.
Season - Rainy
Old Dhaka - 2
“Old Dhaka-2” is a 2003 watercolor painting by veteran artist Hashem Khan. He captured the old world charm of Dhaka in all earthy tones. He merged his lived experience with emerging modernism and recreated the magical city. Among the hustle and bustle and race of life, Old Dhaka remains unchanged with its culture, worn out constructions, and connection to root. He painted local carriage, withering mosque, and narrated a story fading into time.
Old Dhaka-2 is his nostalgic attachment to a city that shaped him as an artist. He illustrated his emotions, dreams, and memories attached to it in the most delicate way possible.
Artist Art Style
Hashem Khan’s vision has evolved within the developing nationalist narrative linked with the political upheavals of his time. He was born in 1941 in Chandpur, Bangladesh. The quaint rural setting fed the young Hashem Khan’s imagination. The painter who would later spend a large part of his time and energy into illustrating children’s books and ensuring art education for children.
The artist continues to identify with progressive political and cultural movements in the country. The Liberation War of 1971 is a major theme in Khan’s works. He belongs to the abstract school of painters and like many of his contemporaries, focuses on rural Bangladesh for inspiration.
