Homage to Mubinul Azim

Today (November 1) marks the 40th death anniversary of renowned painter Mubinul Azim, considered as a pioneer in the Bangladeshi art scene. He and his fellow contemporaries had great contributions in experimental paintings. Some of them combined local motifs and various western forms.

Azim died in 1975, when he was at the peak of his artistic career. He produced many paintings, watercolours and sketches in the course of his short career span. He graduated in fine arts from Bangladesh College of Arts and Crafts (now Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University) in 1955. A hardworking and reflective introvert, Azim spent a significant part of his career in Karachi -- a hub for artists, poets, writers and novelists at the time. Besides immersing himself in painting, Azim taught at an art institute in Karachi. However, he always kept in touch with his contemporaries in Dhaka.

Azim returned to Dhaka permanently after the Liberation War and devoted himself to painting. He held a solo exhibition in 1973 at Desh Art Gallery. After his death, two exhibitions of his works were held at Dhaka Club (in 1976) and Shilpakala Academy (in 1998).
Azim set out as a naturist and figurative painter. In the early stages of his career, nature played a pivotal role in his works. Along with natural elements, colour was a predominant aspect of his works. Azim was a socially aware painter. In 1952, he was involved in the Language Movement. He produced many posters and paintings on the Language Movement in that period.

Today Azim's paintings, with their unique lucid qualities, have lost none of their appeal. His canvases are marked with pigment and fluidity. He used a limited number of elements in his canvas. A good interaction between use of space and objects always carried an individual and aesthetic trademark in his works.

The artist continued his quest for novelty and fresh elements in his paintings. He took to using oil paints in a style reminiscent of action painting — quite akin to the works of Jackson Pollock.

With his demise, the country lost a great painter. The saving grace is that many proud collectors are carefully preserving his works.