When lines tell a story you want it to tell
Organicity is an exhibition of Aminul Islam’s drawings from 1970 to 2000. Not of his paintings, not of his murals, but just monochrome black and white drawings on paper
Lines. Composition of lines. Drawing of lines. Abstraction or Abstract Expressionism through modernism.
If the first 'line' did not make much sense, all I would ask of you is to bear with me for the remainder of this piece. So we can unearth how these elements blend together to express an abstraction that is bigger, better and certainly deeper.
I walked into the Quamrul Hassan Exhibition Hall at Bengal Shilpalay to be greeted by 96 'drawings' of the legendary Aminul Islam. Yes, it is incumbent that we clarify that this specific exhibition is solely a collection of Aminul Islam's drawings from 1970 to 2000. Not of his paintings, not of his murals, but just monochrome black and white drawings on paper.
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As I paced back and forth, across the entire hall space, I tried to make sense of what the 'lines' represented. The drawings were not speaking to me. I was looking for a story, albeit abstract, within the paintings.
It was up to the curator, Wakilur Rahman, to educate me that, in this regard, "the artist was merely composing lines. He wasn't telling a story. If a viewer wants to formulate a story out of what he or she sees, that's up to them."
Having said that, Wakilur Rahman took me on a walk through 'Organicity', explaining the mystery behind these 'lines', deliberating upon how the artist may have come up with the inspiration to draw some of the art on display, and which techniques he applied.
The Lines
"When choosing amongst the hundred of drawings from the Abul Khair collection, I primarily focused on two types of lines: vertical and horizontal. This is the character of this exhibition. We always react differently in accordance with the 'modernist' expressions that the lines represent," Wakilur said.
In layman terms, the vertical and horizontal lines that perfectly merge into the white paper, provide the impression of flowing continuously into the paper surface. They appear to start at the top and extend downward, and to the left and right. The lines have an organic aspect that makes them resemble roots, and strangely shaped poles buried in the ground. They are of different thicknesses and resemble tributaries in a river, or distinct roots within another root system.
The white background and black lines contrast beautifully, adding a geometric dimension. The vertical lines are joined by intertwining tendrils, giving the composition a unified appearance. Various lines, strokes, circles, and dabs made with different instruments are also included in the composition. These include broad, straight, curved, bold, rhythmic, rapid, irregular, fragmented, spontaneous, angular, symmetrical, blurred, thicker, and shorter lines.
These lines appear to be caught within their sinister emanations, maybe denoting various yet connected themes, or variations on a single theme. Each component harmoniously interacts with the ones that came before it, to gradually shape patterns that occasionally may remind one of a large tree.
Abstraction and Expressionism
"Within his works, a plethora of abstraction can be seen and felt. Abstraction, leaning more towards modernist expressions. Some may refer to this as 'Abstract Expressionism'. But these are more of a modernist idea.To see something and make a story out of it, that is subjective. But the artist would beg to differ and say that there is no story. He is composing. This is the modernist expression. The artist is more concentrated in deciphering the real expression of the line," explained Wakilur.
Organicity, an exhibition of drawings by Aminul Islam (1970s to 2000s) from the Abul Khair Collection, is on view at Quamrul Hassan Exhibition Hall, until 8 July, every day, from 4 to 8 PM.
TBS Picks:
Drawing 1: The lines are sharp. The artist used brushes or pens to draw this. It's very organic. He primarily focused on the horizontal lines overlapping each other. Such drawings create space on the paper. One representing the sky, the other representing the surface. Within the space left by the sharp lines, the artist drew some thicker lines as well and filled up the space. He wanted to discover the character of the lines.
Medium: Brush on Paper
Drawing 2: The lines on this drawing are vertical. What's interesting is that if you notice the timeline in which this was drawn, you could probably understand the context. If you look closely, you feel as if something is growing. As if the roots are forming into something else. This is from the 70's, just after Bangladesh achieved victory in the Liberation War. So if you think about it, this could very well be a representation of a newly formed Bangladesh, growing. Something forming. As if the country wants to 'grow up' with its head held high. The vertical lines grow and extend horizontally as well; maybe depicting a shadow.
Medium: Ink on Paper
Drawing 3: This drawing resembles a bit of chaos. He created 'space' within the paper by how he drew the lines and then filled in the space with artwork. This was not created by a brush. Rather, he formed a spatula by disintegrating a plywood matchbox. He used it to mix colours and formed a thicker layer of colour. Because of using a different material, his lines also look different in this one. It's as if the objects are in some sort of a motion.
Medium: Ink on Paper
