Ganesh Pyne was born in Calcutta in 1937 A shy introverted child, Pyne began sketching and doodling right from his childhood After finishing school, he joined the Government College of Art & Craft in Calcutta In 1959, he received his diploma in drawing and paintingIn those early years, Pyne was greatly influenced by the brothers Abanindra nath and Gaganendra nath Tagore He did water coloursPyne has received many awards and is present in many public and private collections From water colour, Pyne turned to gouache and then tempera since the mid-'60s It is from this time onwards that his figuration and palette also changed A skeletal element was introduced into the figures while animal showed their fangs and claws They were portrayed either as predators or victims Dark shadows dominated his canvases offset with the use of a golden umber Certain motifs surfaced repeatedly like boats, bits of bone, wood and other debris, dark doors and windows, birdman, Chaitanya, the leader of the Bhakti movements, animals, daggers, and so on Most canvases reflected the opposing pulls of death and life eternal Pyne's varied treatment of the eyes are worth noteThe artist passed away in 2013