Ganesh Pyne

Acquired directly from the artist in 1989

There are minor irregularities in the weave of the cloth which are inherent. This work has been checked under blacklight and is in very good condition, as viewed. It has not been inspected outside its frame. The colours are warmer in reality when compared to the catalogue illustration.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ganesh Pyne's signature technique in tempera was developed in the late 1960s, recalling that of medieval miniature painters who glazed their works with natural dye and used egg-whites as a fixative over each layer of color allowing the painting surface to harden. Pyne also paints in transparent layers with natural pigments he mixed using vegetable gums from acacia trees. His early experiments with indigenous powder pigments and a variety of binding agents allowed him to develop a unique way of building up texture on a surface that appears incandescent. This was a pain-staking process, sometimes taking months to complete.
Exposed to music, theater and cinema from an early age, Pyne's iconography was derived from a combination of myth and memory. As a boy, Pyne was very close to his grandmother who used to tell him Bengali folk tales. These folk stories stimulated his imagination providing him with a visual vocabulary that he went on to use throughout his career. The morbid subject matter of many of his paintings was influenced by his own tragic circumstances. His father died when he was nine years old and this was shortly followed by the Calcutta riots of 1946. During the riots, Pyne witnessed looting, arson and murder amid the streets of Calcutta and Pyne and his family were evacuated from their home and the beloved Chaitanya shrine opposite was destroyed. The death of his grandmother brought a further somber tone to his works. His primary concerns then became depicting figures that were on the borders of society, migrants and social outcasts that increasingly populated the streets around him. 
The current lot depicts a lone prince and is indicative of the characteristic painterly embellishments and two-dimensional stylisation the artist adopted when he moved away from the naturalistic figuration of his early watercolors. This was a theme the artist explored through various depictions of royalty to include princesses, kings and queens stemming from his childhood fascination of fairy tales, and as a stark contrast to his interest in painting those members on the periphery of society. Here his use of light illuminates only the figure, leaving the rest of the scene in darkness and lending strength to the composition.