Artist Shahanoor looks for nuances in nature

'Art, at its heart, is the pure expression of feeling,' said Shahanoor Mamun, one of Bangladesh's leading watercolour artists. He said this while speaking about his thoughts, experience and journey in the art arena in an interview with New Age on Sunday. Although trained in ceramics at the University of Dhaka, his true passion lies in capturing nature through watercolours. Born in Mymensingh in 1986, Shahanoor has painted outdoors for over two decades to capture life in its true essence — from peaceful river views and rain-soaked landscapes to the energetic streets of Old Dhaka. With masterful light and flowing brushwork, his artworks have earned him wide acclaim following his 2013 debut at Alliance Française and three solo shows at Galleri Kaya. According to him, a piece of art carries the living essence of sound, light, vibration and scene, 'As a landscape artist, I step into nature to search for these quiet nuances,' he said. The shifting moods of nature — the interplay of light, changing weather, rivers, sun, rain and storms — create an illusion that moves him deeply, said the artist. He thinks that trying to capture these elements through watercolour marked a major turning point in his life, allowing him to breathe continuous vitality into his paintings. When Shahanoor arrived in Dhaka for his studies, he began painting Old Dhaka — not just to capture its age-old architecture, but to tell the stories of the people who lived there. Moving to the city brought a sense of familiarity through an unexpected setting — roadside tea stalls. For Shahanoor, the sight, sound, and social rhythm of urban tea stalls mirrored those of his village, serving as a vital bridge between his rural origin and new urban life. 'The city's roadside tea stalls, with their chaotic atmosphere, stand as a living mirror of contemporary urban life — a space where people from all walks of life gather to share their stories and reveal the deep connections that bind us together,' he said. For Shahanoor, the neglect of Old Dhaka is nothing short of a state failure. 'Old Dhaka's colonial and Mughal architecture represents a vital national asset and shared memory,' he noted. He warned that failure to preserve these historic structures risks disconnecting future generations from their cultural heritage. Besides rapid urbanisation, the rise of digital technology and personal gadgets is fundamentally reshaping how people connect within urban culture, Shahnoor observed. 'As an artist, I always believe in the new. I feel that as the world changes, we should take all these developments very positively,' he said, mentioning that artificial intelligence was also becoming a key phenomenon in contemporary visual art practice. 'AI can never capture the emotional tone of my brushwork,' he said, acknowledging the rise of digital and AI painting, but noting that machine-made art was always recognisable. 'AI produces art, but an artist discovers and creates art.' AI has not disrupted the fine art market so much as it has impacted sectors like graphic design and commercial print media, Shahanoor mentioned. 'The art market in Bangladesh was never at big enough, unlike neighbouring India,' Shahanoor said, highlighting the failure to build an art market outside Dhaka. Even in the capital, the scene relies entirely on a handful of individuals who truly love and collect art, he observed. Shahanoor mentioned that Saju Art Gallery, Shilpangan and Galleri Kaya patronised the art sector quite formally in the beginning. 'I am never frustrated, as I always feel that Bangladesh is a country of wonderful possibilities,' Shahanoor said, reflecting on his two-decade career. 'Even when political violence or hardship sets back our music, theatre, and painting, we have survived by fighting and within that fight, we always find joy, hope and dreams.' A more professional approach is needed on the artists' side to make art financially viable, said the artist. According to Shahanoor, nurturing the art ecosystem requires both institutional responsibility and a shift in public culture. He believes university educators should mentor students in the professional realities of art, while domestic buyers need to recognise the value of local craft over imported consumer goods. 'Consumers often spend Tk 30,000 on mass-produced foreign showpieces when they could instead buy students' sculptures or paintings for a minimal cost,' he said, adding that despite global hardships and ongoing struggles, he remained confident that the arts would continue to move forward. Artistic milestones are seldom celebrated in mainstream media unless surrounded by controversy, a trend that actively weakens public appreciation and local art investment, he observed. 'Our master artists' artworks are traveling to many auctions and contemporary artists are participating in many foreign festivals and exhibitions,' he said, adding that the government overlooked the art practice and failed to properly archive the art history. Shahanoor, who founded the Dhaka Watercolour Academy and regularly participates in workshops, art camps and group exhibitions, criticised the lack of institutional support, noting that the government failed to build a dedicated museum to archive masterworks or foster research, despite nearly 300 students were graduating in fine arts annually. 'For those who aspire to be painters, whether freelance or visual artists, my advice is simple — the most vital factor is discipline. You must cultivate and maintain discipline in your work,' he said. 'Looking back over the past 20 years, I have seen talented youths drop out of fine arts for one main reason — a lack of self-discipline. If you want to sustain a career as an artist, you must maintain self-discipline.' Political turmoil and subsequent attacks on cultural institutions have severely impacted the local art, extinguishing the hope initially sparked by the student-led mass-uprising, he said, adding that many independent creators forced into secondary jobs for financial survival. Yet, Shahanoor remains firm — despite the financial and social struggles, the community must go ahead.