Ganesh Pyne

Ganesh Pyne was one of the foremost exponents of the Bengal School of Art. This publication brings together several of his key artworks to trace his artistic evolution. Ganesh Pyne (1937 2013) traced his early influences to his grandmother’s folk tales and Abanindranath Tagore’s stories and illustrations for children. The gruesome violence which attended the Partition of India, including The Great Calcutta Killing of 1946, left a permanent effect on Pyne’s creative personality, revealing itself in the premonitions of death and destruction visible on his canvas. Pyne was a multi-faceted artist, always honing his skill in standardised art practice as well as adapting technology for his personal idiom. He dabbled in animation and print media, not just to make a living but also to widen his horizon of the visual study of art. This illustrated volume presents a rich, expansive study of Pyne’s creative career, including previously unseen work made while the artist was a young man. Through sensitive essays, the author also brings to the fore the shy reticence of the artist himself, who nevertheless took a great interest in Calcutta’s artistic milieu, becoming a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists. This volume hopes to reveal the intensity of Pyne’s engagement with the world around him and his urgent voice capturing the apprehensions and ideals of a country on the brink of both disaster and freedom. AUTHOR: Pranabranjan Ray has worked as a social scientist for the Government of West Bengal. He has been a founding member and the secretary of the Society of Contemporary Artists, Calcutta, for 25 years. Ray has curated a number of exhibitions and is the author of several books, including Continuing Traditions (Mapin, 2015), which he co-authored with Surajit Sarkar.
96 illustrations