Today, August 10, is the 97th birthday of an avant-garde artist Sheikh Mohammad Sultan widely known as S M Sultan (1923-1994) aka Lal Mia. His untamed exploration, breaking orthodoxy and bringing a radical transformation in art, by incorporating it with a contrasting usual projection of the Bengali culture, is what makes him immortal.
Born at Masimdia, a village in Narail district, Sultan is considered as one of the greatest painters in the sub-continent because of his depiction of Bengali peasant life in strokes.
Maestro Sultan portrayed the daily activity of human life, mundane struggle of masses and their survival in the natural disasters, rural beauty of life, some in watercolours and mostly in oil, which took him to the legendary altitude.
After a 5-year primary schooling at Masimdia village, then was in Jessore District (now Narail District), he joined with his father, Sheikh Mohammed Mecher Ali, as a mason.
He started to draw on empty canvas, as bleak, colourless scribbling images of various workers, buildings and any other infrastructures his dad would work on. His immense urge to draw kept on flourishing as he denied the chains of capitalism. Thus, the charcoal became his weapon to rebel against the social norms and restrictions.
He expressed his wish to study art academically. Sadly, his parents were financially incapable to support his dream.
However, with the financial aid of landlord, he set off to Kolkata to pursue higher studies in Government School of Art.
After reaching Kolkata, new problem arose between Sultan and his dream. He did not have qualifications which were required to enrol into Government School of Art. Again, his urge and passion made its own way. Shaheed Suhrawardy, a patron and also a member of the governing body of the institute, became his doorway into the academy in 1941. He provided accommodation to Sultan and even allowed him to use his library.
Thus, his actual struggle as an artist began. Under the guidance of Mukul Chandra Dey (principal), he first came in contact with the maestros and their masterpieces. As instructed by the teacher, the students were encouraged to draw their own representations which broke the traditional boundaries of Indian myth, and mostly focused on historical subjects.
A wind of romanticism and realism took over Sultan's blank canvas, as he was encouraged to draw pictures of landscapes and concepts that were original and a part of real life.
After 3 years of schooling, in 1944, Sultan set off his another journey that was exploring India. During this time, he earned his daily bread by making portraits of soldiers whom he saw during his journey, especially the ones on border.
In 1946, his first exhibition was organised in Shimla, India. After that, there was brake in his ride. Again, he hosted two consecutive exhibitions in Lahore, Pakistan in 1948 and 1949 but none of his masterpieces remain today as he himself neglected the importance of preserving them.
Even though his works were not preserved, the exhibition at Lahore became his pathway to USA. Under the guidance and promotion of the Pakistani government, he travelled to USA with a full funded Art Scholarship which enabled him to attend art sessions by famous US artists and also acknowledged their inspirations and thoughts of 1950s.
His self portraits were compact and fully developed with precision and his oil paintings were an incorporation of Van Gogh's magnificent impasto techniques. His water paintings represented the rural reality vividly.
Suddenly, a wing of transformation took over his mind and this transformation was unveiled to the audience in 1969 as the 'secondary' human figures became his theme for the next art works exhibited at Khulna Club, Khulna. This theme continued with his next exhibition at the National Art Exhibition, Dhaka in 1975.
He began focusing on farming labours, engaged in their daily activities such as ploughing, fishing and harvesting in the beautiful rural background of Palli Bangla. What was unique in his representation was the exquisite muscular physique of these farming peasants. In short, the farmers were his heroes.
Sultan was at his best in the 1970s and 1980s. His solo exhibition in Germany was subjected to his heroes, as the catalogue stated, "These people who lived close to the soil, who bore on their shoulders the burden of civilization did not appear to Sultan to be weak, debilitated, starving creatures who deserved pity and sympathy. Quite the contrary, he saw their bulging muscles, their vigorous torso, their overpowering vitality, their well-rounded buttocks and swelling breasts ready to come to grip with life." In his work 'Char Dakha' (1976), and 'Harvesting' (1986), hardworking labours are depicted as strong and powerful heroes, prevailing on the soil of Bengal.
Sultan's legacy was preserved among the four art pioneers of Bangladesh, alongside Zainul Abedin, Saifuddin Ahmed and Quamrul Hassan. He was accolade to Ekushey Padak in 1982 for his great contribution in depicting the rural life of Bangladesh. Later in 1986, he received Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Award followed by the Independence Day Award in 1993.
He died in 1994. His death snatched the flavour of a visionary from the earth; however, First Plantation (1975), Char Dakhal (1976), Harvesting (1986), Fishing-3 (1991) will always remain in the pages of history. This passionate artist, with his weapon, the paint brush, left a mark of 'palli bangla' in all art lovers world.
