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Shilpaguru Safiuddin Ahmed was born on June 23, 1922 (2012) in Bhabanipur, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), in India’s West Bengal. Ahmed lost his father at age 6 which left an emptiness in his life and could be connected to his introverted ways. Ahmed was lucky to be admitted to the Calcutta Government Art School which was rare for Muslim children and was often viewed as vocational, but Ahmed went on to do a teacher’s training course. Further, his guardians encouraged Safiuddin to pursue art and his creative endeavors (Amin). Ahmed attended the Calcutta Government Art School from 1938-42 for draftsmanship and then completed a teaching certificate from 1944-46. He remembered the important role the teacher’s played in shaping his art and was inspired by Abdul Moin, the first Muslim teacher at his school, and introduced him to Indian Art (Ar Rahman).

As a student, Ahmed developed a keen appreciation for nature that depicted his natural environment and the human and animal world bring deep prosperity to his art. Further he joined a “leftist student organization of Undivided Bengal” in which Ahmed was one of four editors, which was released in 1944. Even further, he was involved in school, submitting regular sketches and learning from Mukul Dey and Ramen Chatterjee who had elevated Indian printmaking.

"Safiuddin never flinched from becoming part of the conscientious segment of the society responsible for the embryonic voice against colonialism, political polarisation and various other forms of oppression. Besides the spiritual ventilation of emotion through the exploration of nature based on aesthetic means, Safiuddin, a reticent man, in times of need, had taken part in artistic activism."
- (Ar Rahman)

In 1947, Ahhmed migrated to Dhaka, along with many other Bengali Muslims, and this remained his home until his death in 2012. 1947 being a year of particular turmoil in India, was shaped by the dividing of India into Bangladesh and Pakistan. Kolkata, formerly Calcutta was India’s largest city and one of its largest ports, useful for transmission in and out of the Bay of Bengal. The city used to be the capital of British India (1772-1911) and was decorated in European fashion and influence (Sinha).

Ahmed lived a quiet life and worked diligently on his craft, perfecting prints and charcoal drawings. Ahmed was one of the main initiators of creating the first modern art institute in Dhaka. (Haque). Identity and nationalism play a large role in Ahmed’s work, as it was a charged topic in colonial and post-colonial society in Bangladesh. The partition had a profound effect on Ahmed and caused him to become heavily involved in the art movement in Dhaka. Safiuddin Ahmed alongside, Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan and S.M. Sultan led the art movement in Bangladesh. The group was influenced by “Global eclecticism was a predominant feature of these movements in their early states and many Indian artists who had gone to Europe came back with a new enthusiasm for local arts” (Selim).

Ahmed studied printmaking in London, UK,  in 1957 to further his education. Which furthered his enjoyment of visual arts and pushed his work into the spotlight. Ahmed was recognized for his achievements in the art world and garnered the following awards: "President's Gold Medal by Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta; first prize in the category of black and white in International Contemporary Art Exhibition, New Delhi; first prize in the category of black and white (etching and drawing) in Inter-Asian Art Exhibition in New Delhi and Patna Maharaja's Gold Medal" ("Safiuddin Ahmed: A Legend of Prints.")

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Safiuddin Ahmed Is well known for bringing Indian art to the world and creating a Unique style of Indian art that balances traditional practices as well a modern approach. Safiuddin Ahmed was a champion of printmaking but is well known for his art practice in many different mediums. Syed Azizul Haque from Depart Magazine online describes his artist practice as with an inquisitive mind, “his mission was of a serious examiner of the pictorial possibilities that every medium had in store for him, which starts to unfold only when the probing mind begins to intervene and commits his energy and time in accordance with the desire.” As seen in the image gallery, Ahmed’s work is well defined in every medium, touching on realistic landscapes to abstract self-portraits and further, he is prolific creator, spanning art practice from 1940 until his death in 2012.

His individual style of indigenous modernism was defined in his early school days, although all his work from age 25 and under is lost. During his time at the Calcutta Government Art School, Ahmed vacationed at Dumka, which deeply affected his practice, “he had the eyes of a tropical naturalist, one who believed that recording the real was an act of human empathy as it enhances one's understanding of the self as well as the world around” (Haque). Further, a large body of his work is landscapes and reference the natural world around him. His work from Dumka was

As seen in his early career, Safiuddin’s teachers at the government school were very impactful on his career and his works. Through his schooling, Ahmed's teachers instilled devotion and and dedication. This can be seen in his printmaking which shows his intentional mark making and detailed fine lines.

“As a leading practitioner of modern printmaking of the region, he is often considered a purist, one who works with the bare minimum with the intention to find a middle ground between the subjective and the objective”
-(Depart Magazine, Haque).

Ahmed was a pioneer of wood engravings and taught it at his teaching position at the Government College of Art and Craft. After partition, Ahmed brought his trade to Bangladesh and is considered a Banglasdeshi artist, but his work is taught alongside India history as a child of the divided Bengal (Tankha). In a recent article, by Madhur Tankha, from The Hindu, the importance of India-Bangladesh printmaking remains important as an important tool in the freedom movement and then became an art movement for all (2020).

Many of Ahmed’s work shows the political struggles of Bengalis and rural life, without the traditional folk art (Selim). Even further, his work was influenced by the atmosphere in which he grew up. In 1947, Ahmed was relocated to Dhaka, Bangladesh and was further affected by disaster in 1954 and 1955, when his village of Swmibagh experienced severe flooding. From then out, Ahmed’s work was influenced by “floods, fish, nets, boats and the diversity of water […] In this he found the soul of Bengal” (Ar Rahman).

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The wood engraving Bankura Landscape by Safiuddin Ahmed was created in the year 1942, a mere 5 years before the Partition of 1947. This piece was created when Ahmed lived and taught at the Government School in Kolkata. The work shows his immense talent and skill for wood engravings in his early work. Though this piece is small, there are intricate details carved into every square inch. As noted, Ahmed was known for his attention to detail and methodical work on fine lines. In this piece his craft is evident.

Ahmed’s subject matter focused on mainly pastoral scenes and unison between man and nature. In this piece there is no colour, only the intense black from the ink and the white from the relief of the engraving. This stark colour contrast makes the piece bold and stand out. There are houses, a brick wall and two figures standing beside the path. The detailed lines of the rooves become more of the focal point and the figures blend in. In the background there are trees reaching over the houses and create depth and distance in the piece. As seen in the article, "Safiuddin Ahmed: A Legend of Prints" Ahmed's known for his devout dedication to a single piece. While black is the predominant colour in the piece, Ahmed's lines are detailed and precise, giving clear delineation for each element in the woodcut.

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2. Bakura Landscape, 10 x 16cm, 1942, Wood Engraving

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2. Bakura Landscape, 10 x 16cm, 1942, Wood Engraving

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3. On the way to Dumka 2, 21 X 29 cm, 1945, Oil on board

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3. On the way to Dumka 2, 21 X 29 cm, 1945, Oil on board

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5. Flooded village, 20 X 25 cm, 1959, Charcoal & Crayon

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5. Flooded village, 20 X 25 cm, 1959, Charcoal & Crayon

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1. Dumka Landscape-3, 18 x 27cm, 1940-1942, Watercolour
2. Bakura Landscape, 10 x 16cm, 1942, Wood Engraving
3. On the way to Dumka 2, 21 X 29 cm, 1945, Oil on board
4. Fishing, 19 X 23 cm, 1950, Brush & Ink
5. Flooded village, 20 X 25 cm, 1959, Charcoal & Crayon
6. Memories of 1971, 65 X 60 cm, 1996, Oil on canvas

Images: https://safiuddinahmed.com/work.html

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Amin, Aasha Mehreen. "A Purist's Journey." Star Weekend Magazine. Star Weekend Magazine, 4 July 2007. Web. 07 Dec. 2020.

Ar Rahman, Al-Amin. "Shilpaguru Safiuddin Ahmed." Shilpaguru Safiuddin Ahmed. ©shilpagurusafiuddinahmedchattor.com. Web. 07 Dec. 2020. &lt;https://safiuddinahmed.com/index.html&gt;.

Haque, Syed Azizul. "Safiuddin Ahmed : An Artist of Pragmatic Intent." Depart Magazine. Depart Desk, 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2020. &lt;https://departmag.com/index.php/en/detail/134/Safiuddin-Ahmed-and-An-artist-of-pragmatic-intent&gt;.

Selim, Lala Rukh. "Art of Bangladesh: The Changing Role of Tradition, Search for Identity and Globalization." South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal 9 (2014). Web. 07 Dec. 2020.

"Safiuddin Ahmed: A Legend of Prints." The Daily Star. Ed. Staff Correspondent. The Daily Star, 22 June 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2020.

Sinha, N.K. "Kolkata, India." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 07 Dec. 2020.

Tankha, Madhur. "Shared Heritage of India and Bangladesh." The Hindu. The Hindu, 25 Jan. 2020. Web. 07 Dec. 2020.