Into the Shadows

A gallery remembers artist Ganesh Pyne through an exhibition.

A gallery remembers artist Ganesh Pyne through an exhibition.

While most remember him as an artist who did not easily mingle and let his work do the talking,for gallerist Arun Vadehra,Ganesh Pyne was a dear friend with whom he could spend hours talking. I used to visit him often in Kolkata. He was never in a hurry to end a conversation and we used to talk at length, says the owner of Vadehra Art Gallery. On Tuesday morning,when Pyne,76,succumbed to a cardiac arrest,Vadehra lost a dear friend. This is his tribute to the Kolkata-based artist through an exhibition at the gallery. Its the work we have acquired in the last 25 years or so,I wish I had more, says Vadehra,talking about the artist who had his first solo after he turned 50. Even though the prices of his work escalated in the international market and he won several awards,Pyne remained unpretentious. He was not preoccupied with promoting his art, says Vadehra.

Comprising 22 works,the exhibition spanning almost 50 years,represents the oeuvre the artist is known for dark,with grim shadows and an interplay of light and shade as well as his affinity for animals. While the earliest is a 1958 watercolour with delicate green leaves across the frame,the latest is the 2007 The Blind Animal with a animal figure staring out. In a 1959 watercolour,a women sits below the tree in a rare Pyne depiction,and an untitled work has birds chirping in the bushes. The mediums range from tempera to crayon on paper,sketches on graph paper and drawings on canvas. He had incredible drawings, says Vadehra,adding that his inspiration came from brothers Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore. A cinema buff,he was also a fan of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini and Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Born in1937,Pyne graduated from Government College of Art and Craft,Kolkata,and sketched for animated films in the early 60s. Member of Society of Contemporary Artists,tempera remained his primary medium. It was a labourious medium. Most of his work was in a small format but he could spend days on each, says Vadehra,who was also planning a book on the artist.

The exhibition is on at Vadehra Art Gallery,D-53,Defence Colony,till March 30. Contact: 46103550