Painter Samarjit Roy Chowdhury dies at 85

The Ekushey Padak-winning artist taught at Dhaka University for 43 years

Samarjit Roy Chowdhury Bengal Foundation

Painter Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, an Ekushey Padak-winning artist, has died at the age of 85.

Samarjit was known for depicting nature and the beauty of Bangladesh in bold and bright colours in his artworks.

"My father was admitted to Labaid Hospital on Sept 5. We took him home on Sept 12, but had to bring him back to the hospital three days later," his son Surajit Roy said.

Samarjit was declared dead at 2:40 pm on Sunday.

“I went to see him in hospital only a few days ago,” said Prof Nisar Hossain, dean of the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts. “He was receiving treatment for a heart condition at the time. Later he contracted pneumonia.”

Samarjit was born in 1937 in Comilla and graduated in graphic design from the Government Art Institute, which later became the Faculty of Fine Arts, in 1960.

He studied under luminaries such as Zainul Abedin and Quamrul Hassan. He eventually joined the Dhaka University faculty. He worked there for 43 years before retiring as a professor in 2003. Until 2010, he served as the dean of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts of the Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology. He also served as a supernumerary professor at Dhaka University since 2014.

In 2014, the government awarded him the Ekushey Padak, the second-highest civilian award in Bangladesh.