The pioneer of Bangladeshi modern art
Part-A : Reading Test (50 Marks)
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions following it.
The pioneer of Bangladeshi modern art Zainul Abedin is widely acclaimed for his Bengal 'Famine Sketches'. Through a series of sketches, Zainul not only documented the harsh famine of 1940 but also showed its sinister face through the skeletal figures of the people destined to die of starvation in a man-made plight. He depicted these extremely shocking pictures with human compassion. He made his own ink by burning charcoal and using cheap ordinary packing paper for sketching. He produced a series of brush and ink drawings, which later became iconic images of human sufferings.
Zainul developed a knack for drawing and painting when he was a high school student. After completing high school, he got admission to the Government School of Art, Calcutta (now Kolkata). He graduated with the first position in first class in 1938. He was appointed teacher of the Art School while he was still a student there. He also attended the Slade School of Arts, London in 1951-52.
Zainul Abedin is considered the founding father of Bangladeshi art. He was an artist of outstanding talent and earned international reputation. For his artistic and visionary qualities, he is referred to as Shilpacharya meaning 'great teacher of art' in Bangladesh. He was the first Principal of the first art school in Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He organized the Nabanna (harvest) exhibition in 1969. In the exhibition, a 65-foot long scroll portraying the rural East Pakistan in phases from abundance to poverty. This intensified the already heightened non-cooperation movement against the Pakistan regime. The exhibition was symbolic of the artists' protest and a milestone in demanding cultural and political freedom. Zainul's dynamic style of work is evident in a 30 foot long scroll painting called Manpura, which was done to commemorate the death of hundreds and thousands of people in the devastating cyclone of 1970.
He designed the pages of Constitution of Bangladesh. He founded the Folk Art Museum at Sonargaon, and also Zainul Abedin Shangrahasala, a gallery of his own works in Mymensingh in 1975.
The river Brahmaputra plays a predominant role in his paintings and a source of inspiration all through his career. Much of his childhood was spent near the scenic beauty of the river Brahmaputra. A series of water colours that Zainul did as his tribute to the river earned him the Governor's Gold Medal in an all-India exhibition in 1938. This was the first time when he came into spotlight and this award gave him the confidence to create his own visual style.
Zainul was born in Kishoreganj on 29 December 1914 and died on 28 May 1976. [Unit-7; Lesson-1]
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1. Choose the best answer from the alternatives. 1 ´ 7 = 7
(a) Who is the pioneer of Bangladeshi modern art?
(i) Kamrul Hasan (ii) Zainul Abedin (iii) S.M. Sultan (iv) Shahabuddin
(b) When did the harsh famine in Bengal take place?
(i) 1930 (ii) 1935 (iii) 1940 (iv) 1945
(c) Zainul developed a knack for drawing and painting when he was a ¾ student.
(i) high school (ii) college (iii) primary school (iv) university
(d) He got admission to the Government School of Art in ¾.
(i) Dhaka (ii) Chittagong (iii) Delhi (iv) Kolkata
(e) He graduated with ¾ in 1938.
(i) first class first position (ii) first class second position
(iii) simply first class (iv) None of the above
(f) Where is the Slade School of Arts?
(i) Paris (ii) London (iii) Moscow (iv) Germany
(g) Zainul Abedin is considered the ¾ of Bangladeshi Art.
(i) father (ii) founder (iii) pioneer (iv) founding father
Extra Questions :
(h) The word 'Shilpacharya' means ¾.
(i) great teacher of art (ii) principal of art
(iii) teacher of art (iv) great teacher of painting
(i) He organised the Nabanna exhibition on a ¾ foot long scroll portraying the rural East Pakistan.
(i) 30 (ii) 40 (iii) 55 (iv) 65
(j) Manpura depicted the death of hundreds and thousands of people in the devastating ¾ of 1970.
(i) Hurrican (ii) Tsunami (iii) Cyclone (iv) Ayla
(k) Where is the Folk Art Museum located?
(i) Mymensingh (ii) Kishoregonj (iii) Tangail (iv) Sonargaon
(l) He possessed ¾ qualities.
(i) artistic (ii) visionary (iii) both (i) and (ii) (iv) none of the above
(m) Zainul Abedin Shangrahasala is a ¾ of his own works.
(i) gallery (ii) photo session (iii) room (iv) portrait
(n) What plays a predominant role in his paintings?
(i) The river Bhairab (ii) The river Meghna
(iii) The river Shomeshwari (iv) The River Brahmaputra
(o) What did he earn in an all-India exhibition?
(i) Gold Medal (ii) Governor's Medal
(iii) Governor's Gold Medal (iv) Ekushe Padak
(p) He died on ¾ in 1976.
(i) 28 April (ii) 28 May (iii) 28 June (iv) 28 July
(q) Zainul Abedin is widely acclaimed for his Bengal-.
(i) 'Famine Sketches' (ii) 'Identity' (iii) 'Martyrdom' (iv) 'Art and Culture'
(r) He was the — of Bangladeshi modern art.
(i) forerunner (ii) colonizer (iii) explorer (iv) trailblazer
(s) 'Sinister' means-
(i) ominous (ii) innocent (iii) blessed (iv) well
(t) Zainul developed a skill in — during his school life.
(i) drawing (ii) painting
(iii) drawing and painting (iv) art and craft
(u) The meaning of the word 'commemorate' is —.
(i) celebrate (ii) recall (iii) respect (iv) memorise
(v) Zainul Abedin used — paper for his art.
(i) normal (ii) dull (iii) stale (iv) familiar
(w) Famine is a man-made —.
(i) dilemma (ii) difficulty (iii) scrape (iv) result
(x) Zainul Abedin is the ¾ of Bangladeshi art.
(i) sinister (ii) communist (iii) pioneer (iv) socialist
(y) In ¾, thousands of people died in the devastating cyclone.
(i) 1940 (ii) 1952 (iii) 1970 (iv) 1975
(z) Zainul's scroll painting ¾ has showed the pitiful sight of cyclone.
(i) Monalisa (ii) Manpura (iii) Folk art (iv) Nabanna
(aa) He completed his graduation in ¾.
(i) 1970 (ii) 1951 (iii) 1938 (iv) 1969
(bb) The art gallery of Zainul is located in ¾.
(i) Dhaka (ii) Mymensingh (iii) Sylhet (iv) Chittagong
(cc) The harvest exhibition is organized in ¾.
(i) 1975 (ii) 1938 (iii) 1969 (iv) 1940
(dd) Zainul Abedin is a —.
(i) great teacher of art (ii) great teacher of dance
(iii) great teacher of song (iv) great teacher of music
(ee) He organized the Nabanna exhibition in —.
(i) 1960 (ii) 1974 (iii) 1969 (iv) 1975
(ff) To commemorate the death of hundreds and thousands of people in the devasting cyclone of 1970, a scroll painting was done named —.
(i) Tripura (ii) Mahavira (iii) Manipora (iv) Manpura
(gg) Who designed the pages of the Constitution of Bangladesh?
(i) Hamidur Rahman (ii) Zainul Abedin (iii) Luis I Kahn (iv) Michael Angelo
(hh) 'Predominant' means —.
(i) main (ii) less important (iii) poor (iv) rich
(ii) He has — talent.
(i) no (ii) a superior (iii) an exceptional (v) an average
(jj) The river Brahmaputra was a source of —.
(i) disincentive (ii) encouragement (iii) consciousness (v) innovation
2. Answer the following questions : 2 ´ 5 = 10
(a) Who is Zainul Abedin and where was he born?
(b) When did he develop a knack for drawing and painting? How did he depict his Bengal Famine Sketches?
(c) Why is he referred to as Shilpacharya? What did he found?
(d) What did he exhibit in the Nabanna exhibition?
(e) What is the contribution of the river Brahmaputra to his paintings? What earned him the Governor's Gold Medal in an all-India exhibition?
Extra Questions :
(f) Who is the pioneer of Bangladeshi art? When was he born?
(g) What does 'Shilpacharya' mean? Who is called 'Shilpacharya'?
(h) Where are Zainul's 'Folk Art Museum' and 'Zainul Abedin Shangrahashala' situated?
(i) What did the Nabanna (harvest) exhibition in 1969 symbolise?
(j) Why did Zainul draw Manpura, a 30 feet long scroll painting?
(k) Why was a 65 feet long scroll portrayed?
(l) What does ‘Manpura’ remind us?
(m) When did Zainul Abedin get the Governor’s Gold Medal? Why did he get it? What happened after getting this medal?
Mohammad Shahjahan
Teacher(English)
Kurmitola High School and College
English Language Trainer (Pavers Point, ETAB)
Executive Member , ETAB
Contact : 01683288352
