Monirul Islam

Born in 1943 in Jamalpur, Bangladesh, Monirul Islam spent his childhood in Sherpur and Kishoreganj.
He finished school late, at the age of 22, and then enrolled at East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts. After graduation, he joined as a teacher in 1966. In 1969, he received a scholarship at the Madrid Academy of Fine Arts. Since then the artist has been staying in Spain, but in no way has he been detached from Bangladesh. In the last 40 years, he established his own artistic vocabulary which is referred to as ‘Monir’s School’ in Spain.
He was the first non-Spanish to receive the Calcografia Nacional Award of Spain in 1997. Some of his notable awards are the 5th International Exhibition of Prints, Ibiza, Spain (1972), Carmen Arozamena Prize, Madrid (1974), International Graphics Exhibition in Yugoslavia (1977, 1987), the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award (1985), Accessit National Award of Spain (1993), the Ekushey Padak (1999) and the Hamidur Rahman Smriti Puraskar, Dhaka (2007). He was a member of international juries in the Cairo Triennale (1999, 2003) and the Spanish International Prints Competition (2000). In 2010 he has conferred the Cross of Officer of the Order of Queen Isabella for outstanding contribution to art. He received the Royal Spanish Order of Merit in 2018. Monirul Islam divides his time between Dhaka and Madrid.

Dancing in the Forest

“Dancing in the Forest” is a 2011 watercolor painting by prominent artist Monirul Islam. The forest grows on its own. Trees grow in all directions and in their own way they form a language. A language that communicates to us only if we just pay enough attention. Lights passing through tree branch and leaves here creates the magic show of light and shadow. The song of birds, the hisses of animals, and the wind blowing through leaves create unworldly music on earth. The forest stands still, holding all the truth and magic of the world. Monirul Islam captured just that, nature on its own. He witnessed the language and called it dancing.

Artist Art Style

The artist’s nostalgic childhood days had a great influence on his being an artist. While he was at the College of Art and Crafts (now Faculty of Fine Art of Dhaka University) in 1961, he would complete 4/5 watercolors in a day. Hundreds of watercolors are kept preserved in his drawers to date. He is a pre-eminent printmaker. From portraying human expression to abstract painting he did it all.