Unit Two: Art and Craft

Lesson 1
What is Beauty?
A. Warm up activity
• Close your eyes and picture something beautiful. What did you see?
Share with your friends.
• Think of a work of art you have seen (e.g., a painting, a sculpture, a
photograph, an embroidered quilt) that you considered beautiful. Describe it to
your group.
Beauty is easy to appreciate but difficult to define. As we look around, we discover
beauty in pleasurable objects and sights- in nature, in the laughter of children, in
the kindness of strangers. But when asked to define it, we run into difficulties.
Does beauty have an independent, objective identity? Is it universal, or is it shaped
by individual perceptions? Does it truly lie in the eye of the beholder? -we ask
ourselves.
Throughout history, poets and artists have described beauty in different ways.
Poets make use of words to paint images of beauty, while artists create
representations of beauty using their creative faculties.
Here are two poems that explore the theme of beauty. While Lord Byron
(1788-1824) finds perfect beauty in a woman he idealizes, Emily Dickinson
(1830-1886) asserts that beauty is inseparable from truth. Read the poems and
complete the activities that follow.

'She Walks in Beauty' by Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
Art and Craft 31

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

‘I Died For Beauty’ by Emily Dickinson

I died for beauty, but was scarce

Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly why I failed?

"For beauty," I replied.
"And I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren are," he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a-night,

We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.
32 English For Today

B. Match the words on the left column with their meanings on the right
column in the context of the two poems.

Column A Column B
aspect plural form of brother
gaudy next to one another
impair scarce adjoining tiny flowerless plants that grow in tufts or mats
brethren moss in damp places facial expression; countenance
to make or cause to become worse;
damage or weaken cheap and showy,
flashy
barely, hardly
climes a glossy black color
raven climates

C. Discuss the following questions in pairs.

a. The poem “She Walks in Beauty” by Byron centres around a woman.
What do you learn about her through the speaker’s descriptions?
b. The speaker in Byron’s poem praises the fine features of the woman he
admires — her face, eyes, hair, cheek, brow, smile, and skin. Find the lines in
the poem that mention these features and describe what the speaker says about
them.
c. In the last stanza, the speaker in Byron’s poem suggests that his muse’s
outer beauty is a testament to her inner goodness and innocence. Do you agree
with this view? Explain your reasoning.
d. “The glorification of physical beauty in “She Walks in Beauty” reflects
the unrealistic beauty standards that society often places on women.” Do you
agree? Justify your opinion.
e. The poem “I Died for Beauty” by Dickinson presents a conversation
between two individuals. Who are the speakers, and where are they?
f. In “I Died for Beauty”, Dickinson creates a scene that is both
frightening and comforting. Explain how she achieves this effect through the
imagery in the poem.
Art and Craft 33

g. In Dickinson’s poem, the man who died for truth suggests that truth and
beauty are the same. Do you agree with this idea? Explain your reasoning.
h. While Byron’s poem primarily focuses on physical beauty, Dickinson
offers a more philosophical perspective on what beauty is. Compare the
depiction of beauty in the two poems and discuss which view of beauty you
agree with.

D. Complete the story below in 200 words. Once finished, read your story
to your friends.
Once there was a young artist in a remote village in Bangladesh. His name was
Rabbi. He was asked by his mentor to draw the most beautiful object in the world.
But Rabbi was confused about what that most beautiful thing could be. Every
morning, he would rise early, go out, and roam the streets, shops, playgrounds,
schools, and the nearby orchards and river, searching for something truly beautiful.
Then one day...
34 English For Today
Art and Craft 35
36 English For Today
Art and Craft 37
38 English For Today

H. Think of the following questions

1. Do you know a friend or relative whom you had met years ago and with whom
you have lost contact?
2. How do you reconnect with a friend when you see him/her after many days or
years?
3. Do you find a gap of communication with that friend, or do you feel the same
closeness with him/her?
4. Do you cherish a special place or neighbourhood from your childhood where
you used to play with your friends freely?

I. Read the following song by Robert Burns. This is sung all over the
world on 31st December, bidding goodbye to the old and welcoming in the
New year. Try to guess the meaning of the text.

Auld Lang Syne

Robert Burns
(Based on folk song from Scotland)

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And old lang syne?

(Chorus)

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Art and Craft 39

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

And surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes,

And picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary
foot,
Since auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream,

From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have
roared
Since auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will
draught,
For auld lang syne.

Audio track for listening to the original Scottish song:

https://youtu.be/1edtLulXImo
40 English For Today

J. Rabindranath Tagore has written a Bangla version of this song. Can you guess
the lines of this very popular song?

K. Discuss the following questions in pairs.

1. What does the title of the poem mean in English?

2. What series of imagery is being used by the poet in the text? What emotion does
it create among readers?
3. What do you understand from the quoted stanzas of the poem given below.

a) “And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

And surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.”

b) “And there’s a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o’ thine!”

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

For auld lang syne.

Find out the use of future tense from the poem. Make sentences in the future tense
using the following words

Acquaintance Forget Run about Wander Weary

L. Write an email to your old friend or relative whom you have not seen for many
days and inform them about your current whereabouts (200 words).
Art and Craft 41
Lesson 3
Art
42 English For Today

C. Now read the following text on SM Sultan and answer the tasks that follow.
Art and Craft 43

S M Sultan

Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, widely known as S M Sultan, was a distinguished

Bangladeshi painter renowned for his distinctive personal and artistic style. Born on
August 10, 1923, in Jessore, Bangladesh, Sultan is often remembered as a bohemian
artist who traveled extensively. Despite his unique vision, he only achieved
widespread recognition later in life. His work was first showcased in Dhaka in 1976,
and a significant retrospective organized by the Goethe Institut, Dhaka in 1987
solidified his status as a major artist.
Despite coming from an underprivileged background, S M Sultan made his mark in
the art world through sheer passion and his ability to build enduring connections.
Although his family could not afford his education at the Calcutta School of Arts, he
received a special recommendation that allowed him to study there for three years.

His very simple but highly

philosophic art, which nature and
the people of Bangladesh, has
become the prime source of
inspiration for the new generation
of painters. Sultan's characters were
farmers, rural women, children,
animals, and even pets. The main
feature of his paintings is the
muscular farmers, with extensive
muscles and godly physical stature
which make his farmers larger than
life. Sultan took little care of his finished works, and many are lost. He was
unconcerned about using materials that would preserve. Sultan's song was never
about a legacy of artwork but of ideas.
44 English For Today

Apart from being awarded prestigious awards, accolades, and being featured in top
art institutions, Sultan received wide press coverage and laudatory critical reviews
in renowned newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, The Telegraph,
The Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, and many more. He became internationally
acclaimed as a great painter of classic dimensions. Sultan received the Ekushey
Padak, Swadhinata Padak, Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Padak, and other
prestigious awards.
[Source:
https://www.thedailystar.net/entertainment/theatre-arts/news/100-years-sm-sultan-
3390636,https://abirpothi.com/remembering-s-m-sultan-the-bangladeshi-artist-who
-captured-peasants-with-exaggerated-muscles/]
1. Find someone in your area who loves painting/embroidering but could not pursue
the passion because of the financial crisis. Talk to that person and write a short
biography on her/him. Follow the sample given for SM Sultan.
2. Watch acclaimed director, Tareque Masud’s documentary, Adom Surot which is
based on SM Sultan and write how you felt after watching the documentary.

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_2d5x6TzMs

or you can scan the QR code to watch the documentary:

D. Let’s read about Novera Ahmed, the first female sculptor of Bangladesh.
Art and Craft 45

Novera Ahmed

Novera Ahmed was the pioneer of modern sculpting in Bangladesh. She is also one
of the most under- and misrepresented artists in the country. When describing the
works of the first modern Bangladeshi sculptor Novera Ahmed, Shilpacharja Zainul
Abedin proclaimed “What Novera is doing now will take us a long time to
understand – she is that kind of artist.” This aptly describes her -looking and
progressive thoughts in the field of sculpture.

Novera Ahmed was born in a culturally inclined family in Chittagong, where she
was inspired by her mother’s skills in making dolls’ houses out of clay and became
fascinated with working with three-dimensional forms. As Ahmed was educated in
London and Florence, her sculptural vocabulary was based on a combination of
western ideas and folk traditions. Many of her artefacts were based on village lives
and folk motifs, of which she was a keen observer. She also incorporated Buddhist
themes in her works, and developed an individual style that depicted the experiences
of women.

Photo: Novera Ahmed with her sculpture

46 English For Today

In August 1960, Novera Ahmed had her first solo exhibition organised on the ground
floor of Central Public Library (now Dhaka University Library). It was the first-ever
solo sculpture exhibition by any sculptor of Bangladesh (East Pakistan back then).
It was inaugurated by General Azam Khan of the Pakistan Army, who was so
impressed with her work that he gave her a grant of ৳10,000 to promote sculpture as
an art form. She used cement, wood, plaster and stone for the material for her
sculptures. In the early 1960s, upon the Pakistan Art Council’s invitation, she moved
to West Pakistan and produced many works there.
In 1962, she traveled to Bombay to learn Bharatanatyam, and a year later moved to
Paris where she remained for the rest of her life. She lived in Thailand from 1968 to
1970 and had her second solo exhibition in Bangkok’s Alliance Française in 1970.
At that time she was using remains from plane crashes of American airplanes from
the Vietnam War. Novera Ahmed was one of the original designers of the Shaheed
Minar, in which she collaborated with Hamidur Rahman. She was awarded the
Ekushey Padak in 1997 in absentia, and an exhibition was arranged from her works
left behind in Dhaka in April-May, 1998.

1. Write a 100 word summary of the above text about Novera Ahmed.
Please go through the following strategies of writing a summary before you
begin the task.

E. In this lesson we have learnt about three distinguished artists of Bangladesh

who had used paintings, sketches and sculpting as their creative expressions.
What do you think of such expressions? Write a paragraph on it. (200 words)

References:
Novera Ahmed - The Legend and the Myth. Bengal Institute.
https://bengal.institute/news/novera-ahmed-the-legend-and-the-myth/
Art and Craft 47

Lesson 4
Craft
A.
48 English For Today

B.
Art and Craft 49

C.
50 English For Today