Murtaja Baseer is considered to be a distinct and unique personality in Bangladeshi art milieu for his lucid thought process, strong and meticulous drawings, balanced use of colours and a strong social commitment. His quest has always encouraged him to deliver new thoughts, styles and techniques in a constant pursuit of experimentation. Throughout his illustrious career, Baseer has gradually transformed his working style into abstract realism. He never draws a single line without a logical explanation. Like other contemporaries artists of his time or later generations, his position remains at the highest.
Baseer was born in 1932. He joined Dacca Art College (now the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) as a student in 1949. During the Liberation War, he left the country for Paris with his family. Baseer stayed in Paris till June 1973. While in Paris, he studied mosaic and etching at Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1973, Baseer returned to Bangladesh and joined Chittagong University as an assistant professor. He finally retired from teaching in 1998.
Baseer is a politically and socially conscious painter. In his student life, he involved in left leaning politics. He was sent to jail several times in the '50s for his political ideology. From the very beginning of his career, the artist was greatly influenced by the paintings of Byzantine and Early-Renaissance period.
Baseer has received high praise for true depiction of Bengali woman--her pathos, inner agony, magnificence and uniqueness. He zoomed the portrait of the women of ultra modern society where artificiality and vulgarity cautiously focused in his paintings. Coloured hair, smokey eye, mascara in eyes, sleeveless blouse and bra strife have been highlighted in the paintings. In 2003, he again concentrated on portraying female figures. In these works, the women look more sophisticated and refined. The classes of women cover upper middle class and middle class in our society.
"The Wings" is one of his noteworthy series, articulating truth, beauty, romanticism and spirituality. The most significant part of the series is that all of the works have a deep correlation but each painting denotes its individuality. Baseer has maintained continuity in his works. Subtle forms and colours create a panoramic impact in his works. In the series, the artist has experimented with colours and its various facets. He has also experimented with diverse forms. The artist applies colours directly, piling up thick and at times thin layers on the canvas, and tries to create an image that is dynamic. Brush strokes give his works a textural quality. His colours are bright and produce an imposing vision. Baseer started working on "The Wings" in July 1998. The works try to depict butterfly wings. In the series, abstraction has been attained through fractional representation of the whole and by the boldness of colours.
"Epitaph for the Martyrs", one of his significant series, was done in 1971, when Baseer escaped to Paris with his family, fearing arrest for his involvement in the independence movement. The artist inspired by the colours and varied alien forms enmeshed in stones that he found on a Parisian street.
Baseer did a number of calligraphies in oil, based on some of the most known words and phrases from the holy Qur'an. Calligraphy is the art of beautiful or elegant handwriting. It is a fine art of skilled penmanship. In fact, Islamic calligraphy is considered to be Arabic calligraphy. Calligraphy has possibly become the most acclaimed form of Islamic art; the holy Qur'an was revealed in Arabic. In the series of works, Baseer has been constantly experimenting with colours and its various layers. The letters look very lucid and noticeable. Most of the paintings' grounds are dominated by white. The canvases look vibrant and give us a touch of aestheticism and exquisiteness. Baseer portrays them with a simple and uncomplicated touch.
Art enthusiasts have also found a unique taste in his collages, where small pieces of paper have been piled up with a strong synchronisation. He meticulously pasted papers using a technique wherein he never used ink, pen or any singular colours. He had an endeavor to articulate beauty of the medium and properly explore its technical aspect. He first did collage in 1973 in France. Afterward he didn't get time to work in this particular medium. He again concentrated on the medium in 1990 and 1991. There was a basic reason why he again used the medium. In the 90s, the painter used to live in Chittagong. At that time, his stock got emptied. However, necessary colors were not available in Chittagong. Then he intended to do collage. In the segment, he also planned to make a series of work to pay homage to four of his iconic painters--- Sandro Botticelli, Vincent Van Gogh, Modigliani and Pablo Picasso. He wanted to do modern interpretation of their historical paintings. At first he did a collage titled "The Birth of Venus, Homage to Brotcholli". During that time, Baseer did a number of collages, titled "No More War" where he focused on cruelty of war. He did the series highlighting the Iraq War and the collages depict the pain and agony, depression and miserable life. At that time, the artist felt the cruelty of war which separates and destroys families and friends, and mar joy and happiness. The artist's soul touched the entire devastation of the war. Some of his collages signify surrealistic imagery, fantasy and symbolic world.
Baseer did many drawings which had done in pen and ink in early 1960s. He has done innumerable drawings at different phases of his life. Drawings are a manifestation of thoughts and depiction of daily life. A painter's drawings manifest articulate expression of artists' personality and thoughts. Baseer's drawings show the world the way he sees it, and manifest the essence of the things he has seen. Nude, semi-nude, different other figures including curvy figures, are very much apparent. When Baseer feels distressed or troubled and his creative endeavour flourishes, pen and ink assist him to explore his visions. He records his observation, sentiment, frustration, longing, bliss and other experiences on paper, which becomes a mirror of his pensive mood. His drawings are synchronised and technically phenomenal. He wants to proceed with a certain style that can become a personal hallmark of his works.
Many are perhaps not familiar with Baseer's other identities as a poet, short story writer, novelist, researcher, numismatist and filmmaker. Baseer has written novels and was acclaimed for his meticulous style and unique choice of themes. In 1954, he wrote a novel, titled "Ultramarine". The novel was based on contemporary life in Kolkata and prevailing social issue of the time. He published a collection of short stories called "Kanch-er Pakhir Gaan" in 1969. He wrote two more novels - "Mitar Shangey Char Shandha" and "Amitakkhar". He has a collection of selected works, "Murtaja Baseer: Murto O Bimurto".
Reading Baseer's poetry is like an emotional journey. As a poet, he is a modernist in the complete sense. His style is unquestionably unique, expressive and easily comprehensible. When reading his poems, one feels the yearnings of a lonely soul, unbound sorrow, the vacuum in a melancholic heart. Baseer's poems are voyages into fantasy. He has a collection of selected poems, titled "Fresh Blood, Faint Line".
Baseer has also worked as a screenplay writer, art director and chief assistant director for the Bangla film "Nadi O Nari" in 1964, and as an art director for the Urdu film "Kaise Kahoon" in 1965.
In 1987, he received a fellowship from British Council to carry out research on folk and traditional art of Bangladesh. In 1988, he visited several museums in Delhi, Calcutta, Banaras and 3,000 villages under nine districts of West Bengal - under the fellowship of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). His work "Mudra O Shilalipir Aloke Banglar Habshi Sultan O Tothkalin Samaj" was published in 2004. Several articles by Baseer have been published in the Journal of the Numismatic Society of India, a prestigious publication.
The painter is still actively exploring the diverse world of art. He has done a series of works articulating contemporary life and issues. His quest has always encouraged him to deliver new thoughts, styles and techniques in a constant pursuit of experimentation.
On august 17, the painter turned 86.
