Rashid Choudhury and his world of tapestry

Rashid Choudhury (1932-1986) was a pioneering tapestry artist in Bangladesh who, to this day, is much appreciated for blending traditions with modern elements in his work. Art enthusiasts will now have the opportunity to view his works in a 14 day solo art exhibition featuring his tapestries and paintings at Gallery Chitrak in Dhanmondi.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest on January 28. The younger brother of the late artist, Major Zulfiqar H. Choudhury (Retd), and Professor Nisar Hossain, Dean, Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka, attended the inaugural event as special guests. Renowned artist Professor Rafiqun Nabi presided over the programme.

“I tried to paint during childhood. But after getting admitted into Charukala, I transferred to the Department of Economics in University of Dhaka. I still paint every now and then. One of my paintings will be on display at the upcoming Dhaka Art Summit. I was never familiar with the artist Rashid Choudhury; but I saw his works at the National Parliament House, and later learnt much about him. His world of artistic creation will continue to inspire us,” said Nasrul Hamid.

Renowned artist Nisar Hossain elaborated on the life and works of Rashid Choudhury. He also proposed to hold an exclusive seminar to help writers compose an authentic biography on Rashid Choudhury.

“Artist Rashid Choudhury was my teacher, who taught me much beyond the classrooms. He was a top-class international artist regarding his works of tapestry. Rashid Choudhury and his friends Qayyum Chowdhury, Imdad Hossain, Abdur Razzaque and Murtaja Baseer were the pioneers of ushering in Bengali Renaissance during the '50s,” said Rafiqun Nabi. 

In the displayed artworks, the artist had used hues of black, crimson, green, azure, white, brown and more. From the pieces on display it is evident that the late Rashid Choudhury was deeply moved by varied organic forms, such as vegetation, flowers and plants. He used colours with vivid splendour to send a distinct message through his work, which still impresses art aficionados both at home and abroad.

To search for fresh themes and present them using a novel approach was Rashid Choudhury's forte. The artist established his uniqueness -- particularly in terms of design and colour composition. The saturation of colours, diagonal compositions and aesthetic elements distinguish his works. The display also includes some rare mixed and oil paintings along with a self portrait on charcoal.

Born in the village of Haroa in Faridpur district, Rashid Choudhury had completed his five-year course in fine arts from the Dacca Art College (now Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) and attended a teachers' training certificate course at Asutosh Museum of Calcutta University. He had done his post-graduate studies under a Spanish government scholarship, and studied sculpture at the Central Escula des Bellias Artes de San Fernando in Madrid from 1956 to '57. He also studied sculpture, fresco and tapestry at the Academy of Jullian and Beaux Arts in Paris from 1960 to '64. The artiste received the first prize for fresco painting in Beaux Arts in Paris and first prize in RCD Biennale in Tehran. During his lifetime he was also bestowed with the Ekushey Padak and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award.