On August 10, we mark the 101st birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, popularly known as SM Sultan — the legendary Bengali artist whose monumental portrayals of peasants reshaped the cultural imagination of Bengal.
Born in 1924 in Machimdia village, Narail, Sultan rose from humble beginnings. Financial hardship cut short his schooling, but his passion for art endured. Patronage secured him a place at the Government Art School in Calcutta, where his journey truly began.
His paintings are instantly recognisable — colossal, muscular men and women, framed by stark rural landscapes stripped of urban or modern symbols. Through this imagery, Sultan elevated ordinary villagers to almost mythic status.
This year’s commemorations are led by the SM Sultan National and International Birth Centenary Celebration Committee, which has launched a two-year programme of exhibitions, seminars, workshops, book releases, memorial lectures and research projects. In Narail, tributes include wreath-laying, Qurankhwani and doa mahfils at the Sultan Complex.
Although Sultan’s early works bore traces of Western Impressionism, by the 1970s he consciously turned away from colonial aesthetics. He developed a visual language rooted in decolonisation — local narratives, rural life and indigenous materials.
His lifestyle reflected this vision — returning to his village, living simply and centring his creative practice on a distinctly Bengali ethos.
Before his fame at home, Sultan’s art travelled widely. From the late 1940s to the 1950s, he exhibited across Shimla, Lahore, Karachi and internationally in the US, UK and Europe — sharing space with maestros like Picasso, Dali and Van Gogh. In 1982, Cambridge University named him ‘Man of Asia’.
Sultan’s enduring imprint stemmed from redefining cultural identity by stripping away foreign influences and centring rural life and by doing so, Sultan reclaimed authenticity for Bengali art. By championing the Agrarian Hero, his peasants became symbols of dignity, resilience and collective pride.
His name and artistic legend endures through the SM Sultan Bengal Art College in Narail, offering BFA and MFA degrees since 2009.
More than a painter, Sultan immortalised the vigour and rootedness of rural life. He is a timeless voice in the soil and spirit of Bengal.
By placing the common villager at the heart of modern art, he altered the trajectory of Bengal’s cultural expression, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire, study and celebrate.