A beautiful mind

HYDERABAD: It is often said that an artist’s mind is a maze and what we see on canvas is just a small portion of what actually goes on in the artist’s mind. To showcase the similar thoughts, Kalakriti Art Gallery is hosting Ganesh Pyne — Twilight World art exhibition till January 16.

“The exhibition is from the books of the late Bengali painter Ganesh Pyne, known for his tempera style of art, which blended poetic surrealism and rich imagery, of characters inspired by folktales he heard from his grandmother as a child, Pyne was famously reticent. His drawings, contrasting darkness and light, were evocative of a certain loneliness, which are also visible in his jottings.

Ganesh Pyne’s jottings have quotes from books he might have been reading, or his own thoughts. Pyne, through the words along with the scratchy drawings, opens the window into his mind. For most people, these drawings may seem inconsequential, but for those interested in art, these are invaluable — the start of something beautiful. All the jottings and sketches were once in the making of a masterpiece and it took us a few months of discussions with Rekha Lahoti, the founder of the gallery to shortlist these,” shares Ruchi, the curator of the show.

Mostly made with pen and ink, with the occasional touch of dry pastel and crayon. These drawings and doodles were Pyne’s lifelong obsession, though never intended for public display. “Pyne’s resistance to the idea of exposing these private musings to the public eye.

But once he was persuaded, the jottings became increasingly visible in the public domain, often acting as keys that unlocked the mysteries of his art. The pages were mostly graph paper, which reinforces the idea of construction, in case, of a painting. All the 27 displays are from the Kalakriti Archives and we are showcasing it for the first time and looking forward to showing them to people,” concludes Ruchi.