SM Sultan (1924–1994), born Laal Miah in Narail, Bangladesh, was a visionary artist celebrated for his monumental depictions of rural Bengal. His paintings, characterised by labouring, muscular peasant figures, embody the resilience of agrarian life, whilst his lesser-known sketches reveal a raw, introspective side of his artistry. Rejecting formal training, Sultan blazed his own trail, exhibiting across South Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Leaving his renown behind, Sultan distanced himself from the urban elite, returning to Narail in 1953 to live amongst his brethren. Devoting his later years to fostering spaces where children’s creativity could flourish, the artist envisioned such institutions as seeds of a future nation shaped by invigorated, imaginative generations. Honoured with Bangladesh’s highest accolades, including the Ekushey Padak and the Independence Award, Sultan’s legacy lies not only in his art, but also in his humanitarian ethos, which stands as a testament to the beauty and inner strength of Bengal’s rural life.