Feature

Bangla Calligraphy: Art with the Letters

Taslima Rawshan

Calligraphy means “Beautiful writing”. This is basically a fine art of skilled penmanship. Bangla calligraphy has traditionally been the work of scribes writing down manuscripts, legal documents and religious texts.

Some Bangla calligraphy of Arham-ul-Huq Chowdhury was put on display in an exhibition that was held in the British Council auditorium from 17 to 28 February, 2007. The exhibition, consisting of 57 paintings, was arranged to commemorate the International Mother Language Day.

Arham-ul-Huq Chowdhury has recently completed his PhD in architectural anthropology from the University of Dhaka. From an early age he explored various aspects of art and subsequently held several solo exhibitions in different media. Exhibition of Bangla calligraphy was the first of its kind in Bangladesh as he is one of the first to practice Bangla calligraphy. Besides, the artist is also interested in the natural world and plant life in particular which reflect in his paintings.

Arham-ul-Huq Chowdhury's calligraphy is based on intricate designs and local motifs. He uses natural objects like trees, flowers, flower petals, blooming leaves, fish or birds to design his calligraphic letters.

In the calligraphy arts in the exhibition, there were some images which showed a balance and finesse such as moon shining over a rose. His exploits of colour and motifs come out brilliantly in his works. Arham also picked up the subject of his calligraphy works from various Bengali proverbs, phrases and riddles. As a result of which he could do a blending of Bengali tradition and heritage. Truly, his intricate calligraphy show both words and illustrations bound in a language of their own.

The auditorium of the British Council was simply but nicely decorated for the occasion. There were a number of bamboo stands holding the calligraphy frames. The place was designed by paper cuttings and Bengali songs created a delightful ambience for the visitors to relax and enjoy the show.

Many feel that this exhibition would generate interest among other artists who would like to venture into the field of Bangla calligraphy.

Photo By: Taslima Rawshan
(The writer is a student of Dhaka University)