Proshanta Buddha’s show at Gallery Cosmos

Over the decades, Proshanta Karmakar Buddha has been successfully documenting scenic beauty as well as appealing women in all their curvaceous beauty, gypsy women, boatman, flood-affected people, bucolic panoramic view, cultural heritage, riverine people, bauls, mendicants, working class people and more.
Over the last few years, Proshanta has been constantly trying to give a new language and fresh shape to his paintings. When we closely observe Proshanta's paintings, we can easily recognise his affinity for rich textured, subdued colours with various familiar compositions. He likes to play with various aspects of nature, soothing forms and structures. He tries to ensure an intense combination between colours and textures.
Smoothness is another noticeable feature in his works and his paintings are easily comprehensible because the subject's simplicity, malleable ground and subdued tone. From the commencing of his career, his prime concerns are transparent beauty of nature, people's ecstasy, bliss, longing, pain and yearning.
Liberation War, Language Movement and cultural heritage are some of the recurring themes of Karmakar's artworks. Scattered corpses of the martyred intellectuals at the Rayerbazar killing field and other scenes of 1971 are seen in his paintings and prints. Cruelty of war made a major impact on Proshanta's psyche. People dying while fighting for an independent Bangladesh in 1971 has been depicted in several of his paintings. While the war killed many, others lost their near and dear ones, and many were left permanently wounded -- physically and psychologically. As a painter, Proshanta wanted to document the pain, anguish and struggles of the people on his canvas.
The artist identifies himself with the cultural heritage of the country. Liberation War and the valiant expressions of the freedom fighters have been articulated in his works remarkably. His mode of expression is realistic and movement of the subjects is the key element in his works.
For a long time, Proshanta has been clearly observed that his calm and deeply meditative landscape alludes to harmony in nature. He has portrayed the poverty ridden people around the locations, which come to his paintings from different angles. It has been clearly noticeable that the artist has an in-depth understanding of landscape.
Proshanta lends his strong voice through pure realism. He does not confine himself with any singular theme and working process. He has worked on varied themes and has always tried to capture the theme's minutiae through his personal language and style. He is sincere, dedicated and workaholic by nature. Experimentation is his forte and he has been continuously experimenting through hues, lines and overall configuration of forms, compositions and figural presentation.
Many of Proshanta's images reflect anger, frustration, suffering, death, destruction and his subjects summarise the misery of common Bangladeshis in times of war and politics as well as economic turmoil. Proshanta maintains on canvases where he has articulated public frustration and hopelessness.
As an earnest painter and printmaker, Proshanta feels that he has some responsibility to his country. He records time, history and incidents. His language is bold and can be easily comprehended as he uses the canvas to protest brutality, inequality, political chaos, bigotry and violence.
The war of 1971 and the valiant expressions of the freedom fighters find a significant place in both his prints and paintings. His mode of expression is realistic, and lines and compositions are the key elements in his works. Black is the predominant shade in his works and the artist has experimented with layers of this colour.
Proshanta says, "While the war killed many, making the survivors to lose their near and dear ones, many others were left permanently wounded -- physically and psychologically. As a painter, I wanted to document the pain, anguish and struggles of these people on my canvas."
An introspective and imaginative painter, Proshanta has taken his colours from nature and that is why colour is the most significant aspect in his paintings. He likes to experiment with colour in all its various facets. The painter submits colour directly, piling up thick layers on the canvas. He has concentrated on applying colours. Sometimes deep layers of colours provide a unique texture to his canvas and that is why his canvas carries a singular hallmark.
Karmakar Buddha is a freelance painter, printmaker and photographer who has created his own style in art that is very modern and unique. His passion for art inspired him to be a fulltime artist where be proved himself with enormous courage and dedication. He longs for a world devoid of chaos, brutality and hopelessness, a peaceful utopia where human empathy and cooperation transcends national boundaries.
His Paintings have been exhibited numerous times. At least 25 solo and 90 selected national and international group exhibitions- "light", "Peace", "Happy life" and "Open door" have been held. He got several national and international awards namely, Honorable Mention Award by Alliance Francaise in 1992, Okamoto Prize by Asian Cultural Center for UNSESCO in 1991, Best Award on Graphics at the 9th National Young Artists Exhibition in 1990 and more.
His art is in collections at the National Museum of Bangladesh, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. the New Orleans Museum of Arts, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Inc. Bethesda, U.S.A. Capital Hill Arts Workshop, Washington D.C, Americans for the Arts, Washington D.C, Building Peace through the Performing arts Washington.
Gallery Cosmos at New DOHS in Mohakhali has organised a ten-day solo art exhibition titled 'Peace' by noted artist Proshanta Karmakar Buddha. The exhibition was inaugurated on September 28. The exhibition will continue till October 28.