Important Notice

Ganesh Pyne's art is marked by a sense of gloom, drawn from his own personal experiences with death. The focal point of the present lot is a pale, ghostly bust at the base of a dying tree trunk. The Gardener, referred to in the title, is palpable by his absence. When Pyne paints subjects such as "assassins, woodcutters, fishermen, gardeners, hunters... He projects his men as a vanquished breed... It is quite apparent, that the men Pyne... Ganesh Pyne's art is marked by a sense of gloom, drawn from his own personal experiences with death. The focal point of the present lot is a pale, ghostly bust at the base of a dying tree trunk. The Gardener, referred to in the title, is palpable by his absence. When Pyne paints subjects such as "assassins, woodcutters, fishermen, gardeners, hunters... He projects his men as a vanquished breed... It is quite apparent, that the men Pyne portrays in his canvases are often weighed down with... 'a tragic sense of life'." (Shiladitya Sarkar, Thirst of a Minstrel: The Life and Times of Ganesh Pyne, New Delhi: Rupa & Co., 2005, pp. 55-56)

Pyne often used everyday objects "for the purpose of hinting at the macabre or creating a philosophical mood." (Sarkar, pp. 63?64) In the present lot, the artist depicts elements of nature such as dry grass, barren tree trunks, and a lone branch and leaf, heightened by mist and shadows, to create a scene which suggests isolation and alienation.

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