Today is the 103rd anniversary of birth of eminent artist Quamrul Hassan, who was called ‘Patua’ for his fascination with age-old traditions that he represented on canvases.
Born on December 2, 1921 in Kolkata in British India, Quamrul Hassan, especially known for designing the national flag of the country, developed a unique style using elements from folk art.
He came to Dhaka after the partition of India in 1947, and helped establish the Dacca Art College, which is now the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University.
A versatile artist, he practically worked with all mediums, including oil, gouache, watercolour, pastel, etching, woodcut, linocut, pen and pencil.
Art historians and critics evaluate the artist as master artist for his unique ability to blend traditional folk art with Western cubism – an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement pioneered by Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso and others.
He was involved with all major national movements, including the War of Independence in 1971 and the non-cooperation movement in 1969.
His caricature portraying the ferocious gesture of Pakistani military dictator Mohammad Yahya Khan is still considered a seminal work on the brutalities of the War of Independence.
He received several prestigious awards and honours, including President’s Gold Medal, Independence Award, Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Honour and others.
Quamrul Hassan passed away right after completing the sketch of a snake satirising the military dictator and Jatiya Party chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad titled Desh Aaj Bishwa Behayar Khappare at the second National Poetry Festival on Dhaka University campus on February 2, 1988.
