Safiuddin Ahmed`s 91st birthday observed

DHAKA, June 23: The 91st birth anniversary of veteran printmaker Safiuddin Ahmed,  one of the leading figures in the history of the modern art movement in Bangladesh, was observed on Sunday.

Ahmed was particularly known for his woodcut engravings. He devoted much time to a single piece of painting and print. Black was the predominant aspect in most of his artworks. From the beginning, the maestro   experimented with black and its mysterious tones, tenors and layers of colour. His paintings are technique-oriented as well. Line was another essential part of his paintings. His lines create da distinct language where one could learn about his perseverance, longing and devotion to art.

Ahmed was born in 1922 in Calcutta. He was a student of Calcutta Government School of Art and graduated from the institute in 1942. After Partition in 1947, Safiuddin left Calcutta for Dacca (Dhaka), where he found himself caught up in a movement to set up the first art institute in the then East Pakistan. He was a friend and colleague of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin. He was one of the founders of Dacca Art College (now the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka). From 1948 to 1979, he served as head of the department of Printmaking at the institution.

Some of his outstanding achievements as a young artist included the President’s Gold Medal (1945) by Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta; first prize in the category of black and white in International Contemporary Art Exhibition, New Delhi (1946); first prize in the category of black and white (etching and drawing) in Inter-Asian Art Exhibition in New Delhi (1947) and Patna Maharaja’s Gold Medal (1947). He was a recipient of the Ekushey Padak and Shadhinota Puroshkar.

The artist passed away on May 20,  2012.