I am constantly inspired, perplexed, curious, amused, and awed by the elements and stories of things most of us see-and ignore-every day. The activities of human life leave traces on various surfaces-sometimes intentionally, sometimes inadvertently-but rarely does anyone realize that such markings contain within them an abstract language that can be rich and compelling. They are remnants of love, of pain, of disgust, of disorder or social or political tensions. I find such images on walls, dumpsters, sidewalks, rusty pipes, subways- just about anywhere in the urban landscape-and use digital photography to give them another life.
My work is inspired by the natural world. Art has the power to make one see things in a new perspective. It allows us to develop a love for places and things that we would otherwise not have noticed or thought of as ugly or boring. I do not recreate landscape on my canvas. I rather try to express its essence in abstract language. I work on a many different medias, rooted in a subtle exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with urban life and landscape. Most of my work uses color and texture as the driving force to evoke and explore the feeling being defined.
My experiences living in crowded but vibrant cities have enabled my consciousness to a greater sensitivity of feelings. An artist must see and feel and understand as opposed to those who merely glimpse but do not really see. The greatest role of the artist is to create this sense of curiosity and wonder in the viewer and inspire them to continuously inquire, explore, enjoy and appreciate the world around us. Perhaps this sense of wonder will expand beyond the visual world and enrich the life of the viewer more broadly. I think I draw mostly from my intimate experience with the urban landscape. Cities fascinate me. I grew up with a deep bond with my hometown Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. After several decades in the US, Philadelphia has taken its place, and continues to fascinate and charm me with its complex visual realities shaped by the diverse influence of its inhabitants. For all its messiness, its bewildering mix of images, colors and overlap, cities convey to me a visual symphony.
Multiple layers, the process of continuous change and decay and rejuvenation, all of this creates a tapestry, a visual language that is unique and utterly fascinating. Just like the city that cannot tell you where change will lead it – I do not have a preconceived idea of my work of art.
Artist Statement
Mashiul Chowdhury is a Philadelphia-based artist and an alumnus of Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts (PAFA). He is a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club. Mashiul Chowdhury was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He grew up and went to medical school in Bangladesh, and immigrated to the US in his late 20s. After a stint of research and completing residency and fellowship in infectious diseases , Mashiul pursued academic career as an associate professor of medicine in Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia . Mashiul started to attend alumni figure drawing session at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia (PAFA) in 2002. Mashiul’s work is inspired and shaped by Western art in the last century. Most but not all of these masters are Western. He is driven primarily by abstract art. He has been particularly attracted and inspired by the work of Anton Tapies, Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, Willem de Kooning, Stuart Shills, Bruce Samuelson, Jogen Choudhury and Rabindranath Tagore. In his drawings, he draws inspiration from older masters like Michelangelo, Rafael, Peter Paul Rubens and Edgar Degas.
Mashiul dabbled in art when he was in college. This was primarily commercial, derivative art like designing posters, book and magazine covers. While in college in Bangladesh, he was part of an exhibit of hand-drawn political posters of three artists that drew national acclaim. After he moved to the US and honed his skills as an artist, he has participated in several exhibits. This includes participation at juried art exhibits at Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Cerulean Art Gallery, Blink Art Gallery as well as solo exhibits at various commercial art galleries and art centers in Philadelphia and its suburb.
Mashiul’s work has won multiple awards including Best Landscape Award at the 151st Small Oil painting show in 2014 at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, honorable mention at the same show in the previous year. His work also won an honorable mention at the 2012 Absolutely Abstract exhibit hosted by the Philadelphia Sketch Club. He won second place at “In-Person” show for his figure drawing in a national competition. In 2022, he is one of the winners of “Strokes of Genius” special edition of Artist Magazine in USA. His work is in the permanent collections of the Capital One Corporate Center in Wilmington, Del., Eastern Regional Medical Center of the Cancer Treatment Center of America and the New York Presbyterian Hospital.
The art of Mashiul tells us stories that in some way or another we have already heard. The difference is that Mashiul instills in us a great curiosity to want to know what else exists. Whether it is his abstract paintings, or his figure drawings, he gives us details that not only satisfy our need for beauty, but also incites us to see beyond and look within. His art offers us a view within a view, and a feeling within a feeling. There is a depth that is felt at an instant and one can almost feel it crumbling down only to expose another depth. It’s a never ending need to explore the reflection of such emotions that his art has woken in you.
Mashiul has huge followers in social media and they regularly participate in his national and international workshop. With medical science background, physician Mashiul masters his ability to teach figure drawing with great clarity of anatomy to his students.
Mashiul offers workshops on figure drawing and painting landscape. He was invited to run workshops in new Zealand and several states in USA. He also run a non-profit voluntary art education for community children.
Biography
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