Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, one of the most prominent Bangladeshi artists and art educators, passed away at a hospital in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon.
He was 85.
The Ekushey Padak-winning painter was suffering from multiple health issues, according to his family.
Confirming the matter, Dhaka University fine arts faculty dean Nisar Hossain told the media that the revered artist was admitted to the hospital with heart complications and later suffered from pneumonia.
According to Chowdhury’s son Surojit Roy Chowdhury, the art maestro was admitted to Labaid Hospital on September 5. After a week of treatment, the family took him home on September 12.
However, he was admitted to the hospital again on September 15 due to complications.
News of his departure created a shadow of grief among the artist community in the country.
The artist's body will be brought to the DU's fine arts faculty on Monday at 10:00am when his admirers can pay their respects.
Born in 1937 in Cumilla, Chowdhury graduated in Graphic Design from the Government Art Institute (presently Faculty of Fine Art, Dhaka University) in 1960.
He received direct tutelage from legendary art maestros, including Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan, Anwarul Huq, Mohammed Kibria and Safiuddin Ahmed.
He joined the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art in 1960 and served there for 43 years before retiring as a professor in 2003. He also taught there as a supernumerary professor since 2014.
Until 2010, he also served as the dean for the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology.
In 2014, he received the Ekushey Padak, the second-highest civilian award in Bangladesh, for his meaningful contribution to the country’s art sphere.
