The Hindu : New Delhi News : A celebration of the natural

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Thursday, Nov 01, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

A celebration of the natural

Madhur Tankha

One of painter Kartick Chandra Pyne’s creations.

NEW DELHI: Art Konsult is hosting a solo show of recent works by Kolkata-based veteran artist Kartick Chandra Pyne at 23 Hauz Khas Village here. The exhibition is titled “A Celebration of the Natural.”

Showcasing paintings done in the past two years, the exhibition that opened on Tuesday includes nearly 50 works in watercolours on rice paper and oil on canvas that celebrate the myriad forms of nature — be it humans, animals, birds or reptiles.

Born in Kolkata in 1931, Pyne received his Diploma in Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts and Crafts from the City of Joy. At the ongoing show, Pyne chooses his colours not on the basis of their visual appeal but by what they mean to him. The random and surreal elements in his works are all rooted in his own perception of the world and its people. Pyne celebrates life and nature in his paintings. Life processes like birth, growth, youth and reproduction form the basis of his work.

Pyne had to battle against a paralytic stroke some 10 years ago but he resumed his daily work with ease, perhaps with greater verve and keener imaginativeness. The experience suffered by the artist has only enabled him to delve deeper into the subterranean realm of the unconscious and resurface with newer revelations about the mystery of the feminine form.

Says the veteran artist, “There was a time when I could paint the entire day and through the night and put all my thoughts to canvas. Today if I manage to sit for two and a half hours in one sitting I feel it’s a great achievement.”

The show is on up to November 25.

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