Quamrul Hassan

Potua
Quamrul Hassan
Quamrul Hassan in 1955
Born2 December 1921
Calcutta, British India
Died2 February 1988(1988-02-02) (aged 66)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
Other namesPotua
EducationCalcutta Madrasa
University of Calcutta (1947)
OccupationArtist
Notable workANNIHILATE THESE DEMONS (1971)
AwardsIndependence Day Award (1979)

Quamrul Hassan (Bengali: কামরুল হাসান; 2 December 1921– 2 February 1988) was a Bangladeshi artist. Quamrul Hassan is referred to in Bangladesh as Potua, a word usually associated with folk artists, due to his down to earth style yet very modern in nature as he always added Cubism other than the folk style to his artworks. In addition to his artistic legacy, two of Quamrul Hassan's work have come to be part of Bangladesh's political history. The first of this is a monstrous rendition of Yahya Khan, the Pakistani president who ordered genocide in Bangladesh. The second was just before his death, mocking the then dictator of Bangladesh, Hossain Mohammad Ershad. This sketch was titled Desh aaj bisshobeheyar khoppre (Our land is now in the hand of the champion of shamelessness).