Ganesh Pyne

(1937-2013)

Durga

Footnotes

Provenance
Property from a private collection, Singapore.
Acquired from the family.

'Myth is a very regulating factor in my work, and the source of my myths were basically my grandmother's stories with their certain mystic elements, and being brought up in a religious atmosphere...The Hindu rituals were observed with keenness so that was the atmosphere which was the base of my creative mind.' (Ganesh Pyne in The Flames Mosaic: Indian Contemporary Painting, 1st August 1993, pg. 358)

'...True darkness gives one a feeling of insecurity bordering on fear but it also has its own charms, mystery, profundity, a fairyland atmosphere. Darkness still gives me the same feelings now as it did when I was a child. The only difference is that I try consciously to analyse these feelings now. Mythology and fables also fascinate me, probably for the same reasons. I now look at things with eyes that are, I think, more mature but I also have a sneaking suspicion that when one is confronted with primeval values one has little to gain through maturity...' (Ganesh Pyne, conversation with Arany Banerjee, LKC 15, April 1973)

'Once in paintings I aimed at fusing Abanindranath's mode of viewing and Rembrandt's expressive use of light and darkness.' (Pyne, Desh, 1399 BS)

Pyne is renowned for his hauntingly beautiful and introspective works that were profoundly influenced by the rich cultural tapestry of Bengal, with its vibrant mythology, folklore, and mysticism. 'Born in Calcutta, ten years before independence, some of his earliest and most formative memories centre on the city's 1946 riots. Evacuated from his home, and with the entire city contorted in conflict, Pyne wandered into the streets where he saw a handcart filled with dead people, including an old woman whose gold necklace gleamed around her neck but whose body had turned gray:' I was shaken by the sight. Since then, I have been obsessed with the dark world... At fifteen, Pyne saw an exhibition of Abindranath Tagore's paintings at the Indian Museum that deeply shaped his eventual artistic language... Pyne attended the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Calcutta between 1955 and 1959, and lived in his family's home in north Calcutta for most of his adult life. His grandmother shaped his visions of Bengali life by narrating folk tales and opening a view into the richness of the vernacular tradition... In 1963, Pyne joined the Society of Contemporary Artists and developed a new idiom based on the human skeletal form. The death of his beloved grandmother in 1965 coincided with a darkening subject matter...At the opening of the 1970s, Calcutta again witnessed war and death, as Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in a bloody civil war that ended in 1971. Refugees flooded the city from the conflict just across the border, reviving memories of earlier famines and communal violence. Pyne turned inward to develop a personal iconography based on Bengali folk literature, his memories of violence, and a newfound interest in the teachings of the Hindu saint Chaitanya.' (Susan S. Bean, Midnight to the Boom: Painting in India after Independence, Peabody Essex Museum, 2013, p.170)

Durga was painted in 1975, when Pyne was 38 years old. By the time he was entering the fourth decade of his life, he was an accomplished artist, having created a unique visual language using the medium of tempera. He had gained recognition and his works had been included in prestigious exhibitions and collections such as the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and the first Delhi triennial. Durga is a rare and accomplished work and holds a special place within his oeuvre. While Pyne's body of work predominantly explores themes of solitude, melancholy, and existential introspection, this particular piece diverges from his usual repertoire, offering a captivating reinterpretation of the revered goddess Durga.

Goddess Durga holds great significance in both Bengali society and Hindu religion, serving as a powerful symbol of strength, courage, and divine femininity. In Bengali culture, Durga Puja, the annual festival dedicated to her worship, is celebrated with unparalleled fervour and enthusiasm, uniting communities in joyous revelry and spiritual devotion. As the embodiment of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, Durga is revered as the divine mother who vanquishes evil forces and restores balance to the universe. Given Pyne's experiences of violence and evil, it is unsurprising that he gravitated towards portraying Goddess Durga at this point in his life. With the recent turmoil in the country offering flashbacks to the violence of previous years, and the loss of his grandmother still fresh in his memory, he likely sought solace in the Goddess. Her iconic depiction wielding weapons in her multiple arms, symbolizes her unparalleled power and fearlessness in the face of adversity. Beyond her role in religious mythology, Durga occupies a central place in Bengali folklore and literature, inspiring countless tales of valour and triumph. She represents the ultimate embodiment of righteousness and compassion, revered not only during the festive season but also as a source of inspiration and guidance in navigating life's challenges with grace and resilience.

Here, Pyne has beautifully combined his characteristic dreamlike imagery, subdued palette and meticulous detailing with a mystical scene which shows Goddess Durga having conquered the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. The story of Goddess Durga's conquest of Mahishasura serves as a potent allegory for the perennial struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, in the human psyche and the wider world. It reinforces the belief that righteousness will always prevail in the end, no matter how formidable the forces of adversity may seem. Usually, she is depicted riding a lion, however here she occupies the entire frame and is looking directly at us. Adorned with jewellery and garlands, she is Trinayani Durga; her left eye represents the moon or desire, her right eye symbolises the sun or action and the central or third eye represents knowledge and fire. She is holding the weapons of various male Gods in nine of her ten arms, khanda, trishula, sudarshan chakra, dhanush and tir, bharji, shankh and a lotus and is holding the Varana mudra, the mudra pose customarily used whenever a blessing is being offered. Her face and arms appear luminous and this was achieved through Pyne's tempera technique, which consisted of laying down thin glazes of colour over a thin wash of ink. He applied multiple, almost transparent layers of pigment until he achieved his desired level of colour saturation and contrast. An arduous process, the result is a luminous paint surface, which makes it seem as though light is emanating from the canvas, fitting for a work that is meant to engulf the viewer.

Given Pyne's laborious technique, it is unsurprising to know that he made preparatory sketches for his works and Durga is no exception. Durgas preparatory sketch is a study in itself, offering a window into his creative process. It is meticulous and illustrates Pyne's mastery of line and form. Moreover, it is supplemented with text, which explains the rationale behind the painting. Pyne's process is perhaps best described in his own words,

'In earlier days, the idea would come to my mind first. Then I would search for forms, sketching and sketching. Now, the store of my mind has become richer, with age. When I sit down with my paper, I make 'jottings', which are preparatory work. I make different versions of an image, and then translate the one that I like best into tempera on canvas." (Artist Statement, Ganesh Pyne: A Pilgrim in the Dominion of Shadows, The Museum Gallery, Mumbai, 2005, p. 14).