Memorialising Ganesh Pyne Mapin Publishing
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Memorialising Ganesh Pyne

Photographs & Photo Collages by Veena Bhargava

Ganesh Pyne (1937-2013), one of the foremost artists of post-Independence India, is no stranger to the art lovers of the country.

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Ganesh Pyne (1937-2013), one of the foremost artists of post-Independence India, is no stranger to the art lovers of the country.
His haunting images of intimations of mortality, the crepuscular light in his canvases, and his brilliant use of his own version of tempera is remembered by connoisseurs and critics alike. But he was a shy, reclusive man, who has left little trace of himself in public memory. Memorialising Ganesh Pyne fills this gap by bringing to life the sensitive artist through a remarkable series of photographs shot by artist Veena Bhargava across two decades.

The portfolio of portrait and group photographs that capture glimpses of the artist at work and leisure also provide poignant insights into a very private person. This visual record is anchored by two essays: the first, by Bhargava, recounts her experience of taking these perceptive images; the second, by Ella Datta, analyses the aesthetic value of these rarely seen portraits as well as Bharagava’s artistic experiment on a suite of photo collages featuring Pyne with elements from his works. A detailed timeline of politics and culture during Pyne’s life adds archival value to the book. The volume will be invaluable for Pyne enthusiasts and research scholars alike.

Veena Bhargava studied fine arts at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, and the Art Students League of New York, and photography at Chitrabani, Kolkata. She has held several individual exhibitions in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and participated in several group exhibitions in India and abroad. She has also worked in several interactive and collaborative artists workshops. Bhargava has received several awards for painting and drawing by the Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata, and in 1986 she received the National Award from Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Her works are in several public collections, including National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, The Alkazi Collection, New Delhi, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata, Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore, Madhavan Nayar Centre For Visual Arts, Kochi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, and the Masonori Fukuoka & Glenbarra Art Museum, Hemeji, Japan, and several corporate and private collections in India and abroad. Bhargava lives and works in Kolkata.

Ella Datta has been tracking the Indian art scene for more than thirty years. She is a writer and journalist who has been published by nearly all the national and business dailies. She is the author of Ganesh Pyne: His Life and Times (CIMA Gallery, Calcutta), The Art of A. Ramachandran (Roli Books, New Delhi), A Walk in the Woods: The Art of Paramjit Singh (Yoda Press, New Delhi), Face to Face: Art Practice of A. Ramachandran (Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai), and Jamini Roy: Journey to the Roots (National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi). She has also written a book on art for children, Lines and Colours: Discovering Indian Art (National Book Trust, New Delhi). Datta was the Tagore National Fellow for Cultural Research, attached to the National Gallery of Modern Art (2011–2013). For the NGMA, she curated the exhibition Circle of Art: The Three Tagores (2011) and Jamini Roy: Journey to the Roots (2013). She also curated an exhibition of Arpita Singh’s work for Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2014).

ISBN 9789385360831
Pages 96
Number of photographs 46
Number of illustrations 40
Size 9 x 8" (228.6 x 203 mm), sc
Date of Publishing 2020
Language(s) English
Co-publisher(s) Mapin in association with Akar Prakar
Rights Available World rights

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