Kolkata-based CIMA Gallery brings to the capital a seminal show that celebrates the divergent expressions of two stalwarts of Bengal modernist art — Ganesh Pyne and Lalu Prasad Shaw titled “Two Faces of Bengal Modernism”. The show includes 33 works by Pyne and 23 works by Shaw. While Pyne’s blended romanticism, fantasy and inventive play of light and dark in his works, Shaw’s works reconfigure the aesthetic of scenes from the ordinary.
Famous for his small tempera paintings, rich in imagery and symbols, Pyne was one of the giants of Indian painters of modern India. On the other hand, Shaw is a master of both printmaking as well as tempera. In printmaking, Shaw expresses his modernity, both in terms of technique and imagery. Rakhi Sarkar, Director, CIMA Gallery and curator of the show says, “Both the artists were very Bengali in spirit. While Pyne had a purely urban upbringing, Shaw grew up among the pristine surroundings of rural Bengal.”
Both artists imbibe great passion and intellectual fervor that further honed their individual creative surge. Together they represented the emotions, the ideas and the passion reflected of 19th century Bengal. “They were very distinct in their style but what was common for both of them was their ingrained Bengali spirit. Shaw’s works are direct and aesthetically shaped by his relatively simple rural moorings. Idol making, patachitras, the company school and indigenous humour and rasa inspire his creative impulse. A product of Calcutta, Pyne’s sensibilities on the other hand, were shaped by multi-layered, complex urban predilections, replete with socio-political underpinnings of his times,” shares Rakhi.
‘Dhritrashtra — The Blind King’ is a very interesting work by Ganesh Pyre on display at the show shares Rakhi. “In this one portrait, he brings forth the tragedy of Mahabharata and this work comments on the human nature. It is his body of ‘jottings’ that actually is the highlight of the show. These ‘jottings’ give an insight into Pyne’s psyche, tells us what went inside his mind and how he was an artist inspired by the world. These are literally Pyne’s ‘mindscapes’, states Rakhi.
She adds, “I first met Pyne in 1986 when I was curating a show and his works were to be part of the show. A simpleton at heart, who lived in dilapidated house in North Kolkata, he was totally oblivious of where his works were, and we had to run from one collector to another locating his works. He was aghast that art also needed to be documented, not only created!”
Adding further art critic Rita Datta says, “Many of the ‘jottings’ displayed here were preliminary sketches from his ‘Mahabharata’ series which was done mostly in charcoal, crayon and Conte. Like those of the riots that uprooted his family temporarily from its home; or the horrific spectacle of corpses piled up on a cart: the victims of the carnage of 1946. Obviously, he could see its parallel in kinsmen in the epic — the Kauravas and the Pandavas — fighting the Kurukshetra war.”
Leaving behind the Western influences of his early days, Shaw settled down to portraiture. Talking about his style Rakhi says, “Shaw is someone with a naughty sense of humour. He isn’t cynical though, just looks at the Bhadralok Bengali babu in a slightly smirky way. Remember his moorings were in rural Bengal and he found the uppity Kolkata nuances funny. But his women are always the common women. He was fascinated with portraits of women and they could be anyone — a courtesan, a girl in the bazaar or just a woman reclining in her home verandah. So you have works like ‘Barnali’ and ‘Anuradha’ that are simple yet evocative.”
