A Purist Artist

Sarfuddin ahmed 

A Purist Artist 

by ROCKING PLANET

I distinctly remember my first introduction to the maestro safiuddin ahmed at a dinner hosted by bangal galley. artist abdus shakoor  introduced me to him.At first sight , the artist seemed like a person who had undergone a long struggle for survival. After the introductions were made, we conversed little.

    A few weeks after that ,I suddenly came across him in an inaugural ceremony of a painting exhibition at gallery chitrak. we spoke a little and I made an appointment with him. After a few days ,I went to his place  and found him reading a book. During the conversation, he avoided expressing a single word  about himself.Nevertheless, he talked about the different aspects of the art scene in lolkata during his student .

    Well known for his soft spoken, well mannered personality,Sarfuddin led the life of a recuse, for away from the material wold and clamor that accompany fame for which he never hankered after.I have never seen  him at any social and cultural gatherings or fashionable parties, He preferred to work at home , listening to music and reading,He loked the company   of those who were close to him in temperament,although some of them differed with him in terms of tastes and viewpoints.

     Sarfuddin ahmed  graduated from the Government  School of Art ,new kalkata in 1942. In his student life,the artist learned many meticulous techniques and styles in printmaking -wood engraving etching and dry point in particular.Evidently,printmaking is one of the most arduous mediums, which gave him a taste of tranquility,patience and devotion to his work. He always felt that his student life was main phase of his artistic growth,when he got the company of legendary paints such as Mukul Dey ,abdul moyeen ,basant kumar  Ganguly ,atul bus Hrishent mita.However ,the artist migrated to dhaka ,after the partition of british-india in 1947 . then he joined the newly founded dacca Art college .He was also one of the founders of the art  college.   

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