The First Plantation

"The First Plantation" by Sheikh Mohammed Sultan exemplifies his decolonial approach to art, blending influences from Expressionism with a conscious effort to decolonize his techniques and forms. This work vividly portrays Bengali peasants engaged in their daily activities, emphasizing their exaggerated musculature to highlight strength and resilience. While Sultan’s early pieces were influenced by Western Impressionism, in his later works, especially those exhibited in 1976, he increasingly moved away from Western stylistic norms. The painting’s raw, emotive style reflects a desire to reclaim indigenous identity, diverging from traditional Nude painting (nu) paradigms and Western artistic standards, affirming the importance of cultural decolonization.