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Sunday, March 10, 2002

Compiled by SDNP

Head lines

Culture :Recognition of academic feat
Culture :An artist of the world

Event
Recognition of academic feat

Culture Desk,The Daily Star

A three-day prize distribution ceremony of book reading campaign, organized by Bishwa Shahittya Kendra, concludes today at the Showkat Osman auditorium of Central Public Library in the city

A young reader receives prize from Lutfar Rahman Sarkar, former Governor of Bangladesh Bank

Last year a special workshop of reading was held in schools across the city of Dhaka, organized by Bishwa Shahittya Kendra, where 24,000 students from 100 schools took part. A large number of successful students were placed in a final pool and the members of the group have been honored with special awards at a three-day ceremony that concludes at the venue of Central Public Library in the city this evening.

Bishwa Shahittya Kendra, a unique library-based organization of books, has carried out campaigns of book reading for the last eighteen years in order to develop the habit among youths and students of the country.

At present, there are some 500 branches of the organization where over one hundred thousand young members are participating in the campaign.

Lutfar Rahman Sarkar, the former governor of Bangladesh Bank, formally inaugurated the three-day event, which started last Friday. Mahbub Jamil, an eminent business and cultural personality, Mamhbub Rab Sadi of Delta Life Insurance Company Ltd., Najmul Hakim, Brand Manager of Nestle Bangladesh and Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, President of Bishwa Shahittya Kendra were present at the colourful inaugural ceremony.

With the presence of around 1200 students, guardians, teachers and fans of Bishwa Shahittya Kendra, the event venue got transformed into a festive ground of a cross-section of citizens.

The proceedings of the final day will start at 3 p.m. and will continue till 7 p.m. On the concluding day, a total of 1200 students will receive prizes from special guests, all of who belong to reputed professional sectors of the society.

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Exhibition
An artist of the world

Aziz Amirul, The Daily Star

Sarah Sutro, an artist of the US, runs her solo exhibition at Divine Gallery in the city on subject of Bangladeshi landscape, to show her love and attraction for the simple countryside of Bengal

Sarah has displayed in the exhibition a total of 40 works out of which 36 are in watercolor while the remaining four have been painted in oil on canvas.

Landscape, Bangladesh Watercolor 2001

The female artist, who is at the moment, based in Dhaka due to her husband's professional engagements, is staying in this country for the last three years. It has been quite sometime since she has developed a seemingly enduring passion for the greenery of the rural pasture of our countryside. In her words, 'The straight lines of minimal volume and vast spaces adjoining the natural subjects of this part of the world has created amazing sensations in my mind and I simply, cannot resist painting the scenes again and again, in a variety of style and formation'.

Landscape, Bangladesh, Watercolor 2001

In painting the landscape of Bangladesh, Sarah Sutro has been drawn to the intense light, colour and texture of the rivers, land and sky. She has so far, traveled a lot of regions in Bangladesh and in her works, tried to inject some ingredients of those elements in the form of colour, light and tone.

Four of her works include subjects those have been captured in frames at her native home at Boston. A work titled 'From the studio' is a depiction of a scene of the outside world seen through a window, that of the studio of the artist. A bit of abstraction have been added to make the setting more interesting.

'Alongside the paintings of Bangladeshi landscape, I also include some watercolors from New England, where I live. The tidal rivers, light and growth of the natural vegetation of American landscape engage me in a similar fashion as it is done here in Bangladesh and hence beg in earnest to be painted', added the realistic artist.

Landscape, Bangladesh, Watercolor 2000

Three or so abstract works those have been composed in oil, have subjects that share the ingredients of Mother Nature. 'South Asia', a work of an equally divided vertical block of mustard and deep red shades exemplify or in fact, symbolize the extremely colourful and diversified lifestyle of the South Asian countries, which, as Sarah feels, is very much absent in simple lifestyles of the citizens of this country.

In their simplicity, bands and blocks of color harmonizing or forming subtle tension, too, have mirrored the light and sky, land and water, which are some of the basic components of the geographical entity of Bangladesh. They are the smell, sights and sounds of the nature those have been paired down to simple elements that represent the landscapes themselves.

The plain paddy fields in knee-deep muddy water has brought a sense of humane feeling in Sarah's mind and in the process, made the artist feel close to the earth. Probably, this has resulted in the creation of a work by the artist that she has included in the current exhibition.

'The truly unique landscape and geographical location of Bangladesh has brought a sort of elation and joy in my soul and mind, a caring notion in me towards the real world of nature and greenery that is quite rare in most parts of the world. Through my works of the landscape of Bangladesh, I intend to glorify the natural richness of a country of the third world region that is often kept hidden by various factors of social diversity', rounded off the eloquent maestro of pragmatic artworks.

The exhibition is open for all from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. everyday till March 18.

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