Visual artist Ripon Kumar Das has depicted life in Old Dhaka and nature through watercolour artworks on display at a solo exhibition under way at the Saifuddin Shilpalay, Dhanmondi in the capital.
Ripon Kumar Das is an alumnus of Dhaka University drawing and painting department.
The four-day exhibition titled ‘Accent’ is the first exhibition of the artist.
The exhibition is showcasing 44 paintings, comprising watercolour and charcoal on paper artworks, created between 2020 and 2024.
‘I grew up in Wari of Old Dhaka. I have many fond memories of the area. In my paintings, I depicted my memories along with emotions through textures and light shades,’ said Ripon Kumar Das, who depicted the everyday life of people and heritage of Old Dhaka in his watercolour series titled ‘Old Dhaka’.
‘I have created portraits of people I have chanced upon. Many of them do not know that I drew their faces. My fellow artists were surprised to see their portraits at the exhibition,’ added Ripon.
‘Besides watercolour, I am experimenting with charcoal to create portraits. Art critics and art lovers have been inspiring me to create portraits with charcoal,’ ended Ripon, who received the Best Media Award twice in his academic career.
A watercolour artwork titled ‘Old Dhaka-1’ depicts Old Dhaka’s famous boarding house Beauty Boarding.
Another watercolour artwork titled ‘Dhaka’ shows a bazaar located on the dam built on the River Buriganga.
A watercolour artwork titled ‘Kolkata’ shows an old yellow building and a yellow taxi in Kolkata, India.
The four-day exhibition, which was inaugurated on Friday, will end today.
