Zainul Abedin is regarded as the pioneer of Bangladeshi modern art. He was an artist of outstanding talent and earned international reputation. He is widely acclaimed for his Bengal ‘Famine Sketches’. This great artist was born in Kishoreganj on 29 December 1914. In fact, Zainul developed a knack for drawing and painting when he was a high school student. The river Brahmaputra plays a good role in his paintings and a source of inspiration in his career. Much of his childhood was spent near the scenic beauty of the river Brahmaputra. After completing high school, he got admission to the Government School of Art, Kolkata. He also attended the Slade School of Arts; London in 1951-52. He organized the ‘Nabanna’ exhibition in 1969. His exhibition intensified the already non-cooperation movement against the Pakistan regime. Zainul’s another famous work- Manpura, which portrays the death of thousands of people in the devastating cyclone of 1970. In a nutshell, Zainul Abedin is considered the founding father of Bangladeshi art. For his artistic and visionary qualities, he is referred to as Shilpacharya (great teacher of art). He was the first Principal of the first art school in Dhaka in East Pakistan. He designed the pages of Constitution of Bangladesh. He founded the Folk Art Museum at Sonargoan, and also Zainul Abedin Shangrahasala, in 1975. This great man breathed his last on the following year on 28th May.
