Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s fine arts department organised a commemorative discussion on Safiuddin Ahmed, marking his 104th birth anniversary at its Chitrashala Auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The event, titled Safiuddin Ahmed: Bangladesher Shuddhatama Shilpi, featured a lecture by art critic, author, and professor of Bengali at the University of Dhaka, Syed Azizul Haque, while Ekushey Padak-winning artist Monirul Islam attended as the chief guest.
ShilpoProbha editor, artist-writer Rafi Haque spoke at the event while the DU Fine Art faculty dean professor Md Azharul Islam Sheikh,attended as special guest at the event chaired by the BSA secretary Mohammad Zakir Hossain.
Syed Azizul Haque said that Safiuddin Ahmed’s artworks depicted the working-class and the rural people expressing their connection to nature.
‘Although he was a founding figure in printmaking education and practice in Bangladesh, his oil paintings—which depict the pure landscape of the greater Bengal region—are also highly noteworthy in the country’s art practice,’ said Azizul Haque.
Monirul Islam said that by maintaining strict grammar and discipline in practice, Safiuddin Ahmed’s work became a landmark in modern Bangladeshi art history and as a teacher, he also served as an inspiration to many printmaking-based artists in the country. He added that Safiuddin Ahmed loved to be clean in heart, soul, and attire, which mirrored his prints, which were exceptionally clean and meticulous.
To mark the occasion, Safiuddin Shilpalay also organised a week-long cultural festival for adolescents at its premises in Dhanmondi.
Born in 1922, Safiuddin Ahmed began studying art at the Calcutta Government School of Art in 1936. He won the President’s Gold Medal from the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta, in 1945. The following year, in 1946, his artwork was showcased at the International Modern Art Exhibition in Paris, France. Later in life, he was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 1978 and the Independence Day Award in 1996 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Safiuddin Ahmed passed away on May 20, 2012, at the age of 90.
