Winter captured marvelously by Anurup Kanti Das

We are always fascinated by the amazing beauty of nature. None can delve deep into nature the way an artist can. When the unconditional offerings of nature mingle with the utmost sincerity of an artist, there happens a magic that we call art.

Anurup Kanti Das is such a visual artist, who tries to capture the essence of nature in an aesthetic way that speaks through serenading nature's own songs.

Taking photography as his forte, Anurup, who currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, blissfully roams around nature and creates an orchestration of images zooming in on the serenity of nature together—with human beings' in close proximity of it—indulging in the socio-cultural aspects of life, while sharing a nostalgic love affair with the city he lives in.

John Keats's famous excerpt, "A thing of beauty is joy forever…" from the poem "Ode to a Grecian Urn" holds true, considering Anurup's dedication towards the visual arts. He went to many lengths and even had to withstand the shivering winter, to arrest the exquisite images of Helsinki. With several selected images, Anurup Kanti Das's maiden solo exhibition titled "Whiteness of the North" is being held at Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Gallery of Zilla Shilpakala Academy, Chattogram, for the visual art lovers of the port city.

Renowned poet and journalist Abul Momen inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest on July 21. The exhibition, opening daily from 4 pm to 8 pm, will conclude on July 23.

The season 'Winter' has its unique beauty. Anurup marvelously captured the pristine beauty of nature in an array of images ranging from the snow-covered nature to the Finnish lifestyle, cultural nuances and nostalgia.

The multi-award-winning artist also served as a photojournalist in Dainik Purbokone, Dainik Suprobhat Bangladesh and The Daily Star. Following his footprints in Helsinki, Finland, he had to quit his profession of photojournalism, but he never ceased to taking snaps. Even with his cell phone, he took beautiful images to satisfy his inner passion. The exhibit is an outcome of his cell-phone photography.

The showcased images are well-composed with a detailed depiction of subjects, objects, perspectives, colour combinations and a soothing game of light and shade.    

The changing courses of nature attract Anurup a lot. Here he has prominently portrayed the mysteries of winter. The solitary island nearing the Helsinki harbour is a great, visual delight. There remains a grave silence where snow has covered almost everything from the branches and leaves, to the surface of the roadside parks along with the chairs and walkways in it.

The snow-covered cars, bikes and balconies appear to be unused for a long time. Yet, trams, cars and metro rails ply on the roads for the city dwellers. Human activity is rather limited during the season. The photographer waited for a long time to take the best images of humans' outdoor activity.

Anurup Kanti Das wishes to take the ephemeral beauty of Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights for his next solo exhibition.