Rashid Choudhury

Rashid Choudhury (1 April 1932 – 12 December 1986) was a Bangladeshi artist [1][2] in Haroa in a zamindar family.Career:He passed the BFA examination in 1954 getting first class.In 1956-1957 he got a post graduate scholarship and went to the Central EsculaDes Bellias Artes De San Fernando in Madrid. In 1960-1964 he went to the Academy of Julian and Beaux Arts Paris in 1961. He was awarded the first prizein RCD Biennale exhibition held in Iran in 1968. In 1977 he received the Ekushey Padak (highest civilian award) from the government of Bangladesh and got Bangladesh Shilpokala Award in 1980.

Early Work

Rashid Choudhury was a romantic and a person with a positive attitude towards life. The vibrancy of moving life id established in all his work. His work during his student life was fully academic. Collecting Shells- the oil painting he had done in 1951 shows the use of color and composition following Western academic style. Later on when he was introduced to the works of Europeanartists, his ideas went through some changes. He spoke time and time againabout artist Marc Chagall. Rashid Choudhury perhaps felt a mental closenesswith Marc Chagall’s source of inspiration- his love for his motherland, and theblending of memory and world of dreams.He taught the Art Institute at Dhaka from 1958-1960.The artistic thought and subject of his teachers inspiredRashid Choudhury very much. The objects of folk art and he characters of folklife of Bengal became the subjects of his work.The naming of his work was subject orientated. Collecting Shells, Boats, Portraits, Sitting Woman, and later on names like Nabanna, Festival, Mother, Face of Bengal etc. were repeated time and time again. Another characteristic of Rashid Choushury’s work is the absence of the concept of time. There is no present or past- his strong dreaming mind traversed between his memories and the present and back again. His worksgive an idea of an image without time, which is natural, full of love and also indigenous. As a mature artist Rashid Choudhury became more spontaneous ingouache, watercolor and above all in tapestry rather than oil color. He got pleasure from working with a number f media. He said “There are obstacles in the traditional media, therefore I was searching for a medium through which I could depict the nature and humans of my country. I found that medium intapestry. “ He used indigenous materials like jute, silk, fur, cotton to make tapestry.He was an extrovert who wanted to blend the world of artwith social activities. He was interested in different aspects of art, wrote poetry and had a significant liking towards music.

Contribution

In addition to his personal creations, Rashid Choudhury alsothought about the organizational side of art and felt responsible forcontributing towards it. He built institutions for art education. In 1968, theFine Arts Department was established in the Chittagong University. He joinedthere as the first teacher and played a major role in developing thisdeprtment. In 1972, he established ‘Kalabhaban” an art exhibition centre, andin 1973 he took the main initiative in establishing the Fine Arts College ofChittgong. Influence:The main characteristics of the works of Rashid choudhury ishis effort to blend his own tradition with modern western art. The elements inRashid Choudhury’s works graduallyassume obscure, unknwn forms that are semi-abstract. Artist Rashid Choudhury died in Dhaka on 12 December 1986.

Influence

The main characteristics of the works of Rashid choudhury ishis effort to blend his own tradition with modern western art. The elements inRashid Choudhury’s works graduallyassume obscure, unknwn forms that are semi-abstract. Artist Rashid Choudhury died in Dhaka on 12 December 1986.

References

  1. ↑ Ābula Manasura; Bāṃlādeśa Śilpakalā Ekāḍemī. Cārukalā Bibhāga (2003). Rashid Choudhury. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. p. 10 and 101. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  2. ↑ Jahangir, Burhanuddin Khan (1974). Contemporary painters, Bangladesh. Bangla Academy. p. 71. Retrieved 8 November 2010.