`I will never forget my first brush with death. It was 1946, and communal riots were taking place all over Calcutta. My family had been evacuated from our 19th century mansion. One day, while walking about, I stumbled upon a handcart heaped with dead bodies, being wheeled into a morgue. On the top of the pile lay the body of an old woman - stark naked, her body had turned ashen. There were fresh wounds on her breast that were oozing blood and there was shining necklace around her neck. I was shaken by the sight. Since then, I have been obsessed with the dark world` ---- Ganesh Pyne.
Ganesh Pyne was born on 11th June in 1937, in the `city of joy`, Kolkata. He received his formal degree in fine arts from the Government College of Arts and Craft, Kolkata, between 1955 and 1959. Ganesh Pyne is always preoccupied with death. During the communal riots in Kolkata, the Pyne family was forced out of their home. At that time the roads of Kolkata were piled up with dead bodies. He was very much moved by the scenario, which later reflected through his paintings. In the initial stage of his paintings, blue and black were the two colours frequently used by him. He used to draw paintings that were rich in imagery and symbolism. The childhood of Ganesh Pyne was enriched with fold stories, mythological stories, and fairy tales of his grand mother. As he recalls, "My childhood memories revolve around Kolkata. The sounds and smells of this city fill my being. I love Kolkata."
The Pyne family was not happy with the decision of Ganesh Pyne to become a painter. Pyne`s first painting was `Winter`s Morning`. The canvas portrayed him and his brother going to school. He joined the Society for Contemporary Artists in 1963. This period he describes as the `period of experimentation`. He used to create misty mornings and wayside temples, applying watercolours and sketches on the canvas. He has always acknowledged the influence of Walt Disney, the art of Abanindranath Tagore, Hals Rembrandt and Paul Klee as his inspirations.
The style of this extensively magnitudinal person has been shaped by his own cognitive content of topographic point, alienation, anguish, horror and moods of affection and placidity, surfacing in each of his works. Images derived from those experiences act as the offshoots of an idea that may have flitted through his mind. The lines are daring, exact, restricted and the drawings that materialise, are effective both in structure and substance. Removed from colour, they communicate an architectonic eminence in coordinating the pictures. Apart from paintings, he was equally devoted to cinema.
Some exhibitions of Ganesh Pyne to mention are-- in 2005 Retrospective by Galerie 88, Mumbai; in 2000 Exhibition of drawings on Mahabharata 1967 to 1987 at The national Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai; 1998 Retrospective by CIMA, Kolkata; in 1994 `Sketches`, The Village Gallery, New Delhi; in 1992 `Jottings`, The Gallery, Kochi; in 1991 `Jottings`, The Village Gallery, New Delhi; in 1990 Exhibition of Illustrations for book on Wajid Ali Shah, Galerie 88, Kolkata; in 1997 `Image-Beyond Image`, Contemporary Indian Painting from the collection of the Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan, exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi ; Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore; National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai; in 1997 `Color of Independence`, organised by Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata in association with National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi; in 1997 `Tryst with Destiny - Art from Modern India`, organised by Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata and Singapore Art Museum, Singapore in association with National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi at Singapore Art Museum, Singapore; in 1996 `Chamatkara - myth and Magic in Indian Art`, Whitley`s Art Gallery, London; in 1996 `Contemporary Indian Paintings`, Sotheby`s, London; in 1996 `Contemporary Indian Paintings`, Sotheby`s, New York; in 1995 `Fantasy`, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata; in 1995 `Contemporary Indian Paintings`, Sotheby`s, New York; in 1995 `The Tree of my Life`, The Village Gallery, New Delhi; 1995 `Indian Contemporary Paintings`, Christie`s, London; in 1993 `Trends and Images`, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata; in 1993 `Wounds`, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata and National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi; in 1993 `Reflections and Images`, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi; in 1993 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1989 `Self Portraits`, New Delhi; in 1989 `Timeless Art`, The Times of India Sesquicentennial, Mumbai; in 1986 `Visions`, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; in 1986 `Indische Kunst Heute`, Darmstadt, Germany; in 1982 `Indische Kunst Heute`, Darmstadt, Germany;
in 1982 `Contemporary Indian Art`, Festival of India, Royal Academy of Arts, London; in 1982 `Modern Indian Paintings`, organised by National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) at Hirschorn Museum, Washington D.C.; in 1980 `Indian Painting Today`, Mumbai; in 1980 `Contemporary Art of India`, Japan; in 1980 `Modern Asian Art`, Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan; in 1978 `Modern Asian Art`, Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan; in 1975 `Contemporary Indian Paintings`, Germany; in 1972 `25 Years of Indian Art`, New Delhi; in 1970 Exhibition in aid of Menuhin School of Music, Royal Academy of Arts, London; in 1970 `Group Show`, Germany; in 1969 `Indian Painters `69`, Kolkata; in 1968 `World Youth Festival`, Prague; in 1961 Birth Centenary of Rabindranath Tagore, Kolkata; in 1957 Commemorative Exhibition 1957, First Indian Struggle for Independence, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata; in 1975 `International Festival of Arts`, Cagnes-Sur-Mer; in 1971 II International Triennale, New Delhi; in 1970 Paris Biennale, Paris; in 1968 International Triennale, New Delhi.
As acknowledgement to this talent he has been conferred accolades like-- Abainindra Puraskar, Government of West Bengal in 2004; D. Lit (Honoris Causa), Kalyani University in 2003; Gagan Abani Puraskar, Visva Bharati in 1997; Shiromani Puraskar, Asian Paints, Kolkata in 1985; Artist of the Year, Sangeet Shyamala, Kolkata in 1978; Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata in 1973; Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata in 1957; Calcutta Art Society, Kolkata in 1956; Government College of Arts and Craft, Kolkata in 1955. Some books have also been written on him, such as-- Thirst of a Minstrel: The Life and Times of Ganesh Pyne by Shiladitya Sarkar, Publisher: Rupa & Co. (published in November 2004); Enchanted Space: The Private World of Ganesh Pyne by Sovon Som. Publisher: CIMA (2006); Ganesh Pyne, his life and times by Ella Datta. Publisher: Centre for International Modern Art (1998).
