Page 31 - Historic-Masterpieces-Dec24

Timeless

Pyne

Ganesh Pyne, often described as the painter of darkness, is
celebrated for his evocative artworks that delve into macabre
and metaphysical realms. His deeply private nature and
tumultuous experiences, including witnessing the violence of
the Bengal famine and Partition, profoundly shaped his artistic
journey. Drawing from Bengali folklore, European cinema, and
mythological themes, Pyne’s works are marked by an unsettling
beauty, with meticulously layered tempera paintings that evoke
a chiaroscuro effect.

The presented lot, featuring a tender depiction of a mother
holding a child, revisits Pyne’s recurrent theme of mother and
child but is stylistically distinct from his usual oeuvre. While
this piece emphasises warmth and intimacy, it departs from
Pyne’s characteristic sense of gloom and introspection. The
simplicity of the composition, accentuated by gentle contours
and subdued hues, contrasts starkly with the artist’s usual dark,
complex imagery. This deviation demonstrates Pyne’s ability to
explore different emotional landscapes despite his overarching
fascination with melancholy and the uncanny.

The 1960s marked a pivotal phase in Pyne’s career. After
joining Kolkata’s Society of Contemporary Artists in 1963,
he immersed himself in small-scale ink drawings, driven by
financial constraints and a spirit of experimentation. These
formative years laid the foundation for his later mastery
of tempera.

Born in Kolkata in 1937, Pyne’s childhood was steeped in the
fantastical tales of his grandmother. These stories, coupled with
his exposure to the chaos of Partition, birthed an artist whose
works remain timeless meditations on mortality, memory, and
the human psyche.