Quamrul Hassan (Bangla: কামরুল হাসান) (1921-1988) was a Bangladeshi artist. Hassan was born in Kolkata, India. In Bangladesh, Hassan's fame as an artist is perhaps only second to that of Zainul Abedin. Hassan is often referred to in Bangladesh as Potua, a word usually associated with folk artists, due to his down to earth style. In addition of his artistic legacy, two of Hassan's work have come to be part of Bangladesh's political history. The first of this is a monstrous rendiiton of Yahya Khan, the Pakistani president who ordered genocide in Bangladesh. The second was just before his death, mocking the then dictator of Bangladesh, Hossain Mohammad Ershad. This skecth was titled Desh aaj bisshobeheyar khoppre (Our land is now in the hand of the champion of shamelessness). This article is about the Bengali language. ... Kolkata (Bangla: (?) কলকাতা) (formerly ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Zainul Abedin (Bangla: জয়নুল আবেদিন) (1914-1976) was a artist from Bangladesh. ... Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (February 4, 1917 – August 10, 1980) was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan. ... Hossain Mohammad Ershad (born 1930) was the military dictator of Bangladesh from 1982 until 1990. ...

Biography

Nayar, a painting by Hassan

Hassan was born in Kolkata, where his father, Muhammad Hashim, was superintendent of the a local Graveyard. Quamrul Hassan studied at Calcutta Model ME School, Calcutta Madrasa ana later in the Government Institute of Arts, also in Kolkata. He graduated in Fine Arts in 1947. Hassan was very interested in physical exercise and in 1945 became the Bengal champion in a physical exercise competition. During the Pakistan movement, he became involved with it like many other muslim young men of the time. Image File history File links Quamrul_nayar. ... Image File history File links Quamrul_nayar. ... Kolkata (Bangla: (?) কলকাতা) (formerly ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان) is an adherent of Islam. ...

After the Partition of India, Quamrul Hassan came to Dhaka which was then the capital of the eastern part of the newly founded Pakistan. Together with Zainul Abedin, he established the Government Institute of Fine Arts (at present, the Institute of Fine Arts) in 1948. Politically active with leftist inclinations, Quamrul Hassan was involved in the long political process that led to the creation of independent Bangladesh. He partook in the non-cooperation movement against Ayub Khan in 1969. During liberation war he served as the Director of the Art Division of the Information and Radio Department of the Bangladesh Government in exile. He also designed the Flag of Bangladesh. Britains holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan (including East Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh). ... Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Ḍhākā), population 12,560,000[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. ... Zainul Abedin (Bangla: জয়নুল আবেদিন) (1914-1976) was a artist from Bangladesh. ... Not to be confused with Ayub Khan (Afghan commander), (1857-1914). ... The Bangladesh Liberation War (two other names are also used occasionally) refers to an armed conflict between West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that lasted for roughly nine months, from 26 March until 16 December 1971. ... Flag Ratio: 3:5 The national flag of Bangladesh was adopted officially on January 17, 1972. ...

Quamrul Hassan died in February 2, 1988 after suffering a massive heart attack while attending the National Poetry Festival. February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Art

Hassan's art on a postal stamp

Hassan's rendition of Yahya Khan in a Liberation war poster

Quamrul Hassan chose to give the folk art tradition a breath of life by incorporating modern ideas in it. Hassan was a versatile artist working in practically all media-oil, gouache, watercolors, pastel, etching, woodcut, linocut, pen and pencil. He also worked with woodcuts, specially after the famine of 1974, works that expressed his rage and anger. Quamrul used snakes, jackal, owl to portray the evil in humans, both in his polictical work and his famine work. Image File history File links Quamrul_stamp. ... Image File history File links Quamrul_stamp. ... Image File history File links KamrulYahya. ... Image File history File links KamrulYahya. ... The Bangladesh Liberation War (two other names are also used occasionally) refers to an armed conflict between West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that lasted for roughly nine months, from 26 March until 16 December 1971. ...

Rural women and their plight is another theme Hassan has repeatedly worked on. His treatment of women emphasize the bond between them, most of his paintings of women are of a group of women, only rarely a solo painting can be found. However, he mizes romanticism with realism; the strong curved lines and the contrasted use of color contribute to a sensuous appeal that blunts the edges of harsh reality.

Awards

• President's Gold Medal (1965)
• Independence Day Award (1979)
• Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Honour (1984)
• Fellow of Bangla Academy (1985)