B. 1950

Shahabuddin’s works reflect contemporary life and times. Its essence glorifies life’s struggle-he fought an actual battle for the liberation of Bangladesh-with victory in the end, transcending time and space. With great erudition and skill, he relies heavily on the power of motion as his mode of artistic expression. His endeavour to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos through the use of colour – most often monochromatic with splashes of bright unusual colours – canvas and brush has perfectly amalgamated life and art. The artist is in search of an indestructible force and the undercurrent of his deep philosophy is to be seen in the kinematics of his paintings in the realization that movement has beauty. The figures move, but there is tranquility in the end. What has made Shahabuddin, who has been greatly influenced by Francis Bacon and the European movement, to be one among the 50 best painters of the world? His baroque like figures turned towards space seeking light and energy, are a strange mixture of Western influence rooted to his place of origin. He emerges as an international painter with an unmistakable individuality.


Life is a competition right till the end and so there is the recurring motif of sportsmen in his paintings. The imagery of fearless human figures, which are in the motion of running, seems to burst free from their skin with their flesh, blood and sinew.


Violence abhors him. His suffering mythological figures on the canvas are unreachable. They are future bound. The message is terrifying.


What is so individualistic about Shahabuddin’s painting? In their dynamism his paintings depict human problems and their solutions, which provide one the reason to live. Above all his compositions are unmistakably musical and rhythmic. If these are points not enough to place him among the greatest masters then what is?


His paintings are displayed in numerous prestigious galleries all over the world. Museum Olympic Laussane, Switzerland and Bourn-En Brasse Museum France are two amongst the many galleries where his paintings have been displayed.


Accolades and awards have been numerous.


In 1992 he received the 50 Master painters of contemporary arts, Olympiad of the Arts, Barcelona, Spain.