| Medium | : | Watercolour |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 22 inch / 55.9 cm |
| Width | : | 32 inch / 81.3 cm |
| Dimension | : | W: 81.3 cm × H: 55.9 cm |
| Year | : | 1931 |
A captivating watercolour of a wide-eyed owl perched on a branch, rendered in soft greens and earthy tones. Expressive and symbolic, the piece radiates charm, wisdom, and quiet spiritual presence.
Kartick Chandra Pyne | Untitled | Watercolour on Thick Imported Paper | 22 x 32 inches | 2003
This enchanting watercolour captures the quiet majesty of an owl—symbolic, watchful, and deeply evocative. Perched gently on a curved branch, the bird gazes outward with luminous golden eyes that seem to hold ancient wisdom. Its rounded form, painted in soft mint greens, warm ochres, and earthy browns, radiates both charm and quiet authority.
The artist’s delicate brushwork brings a playful yet spiritual quality to the composition. The simplified forms and bold outlining lend the owl a distinctive personality, while the textured washes of colour create warmth and depth. There is an innocence in its wide-eyed expression, yet also a sense of vigilance—an ever-watchful guardian of the night.
Executed in watercolour on thick imported paper, the artwork balances spontaneity with intention. The negative space surrounding the owl enhances its presence, allowing the viewer to focus on its symbolic power and gentle character. Both whimsical and contemplative, this piece is a beautiful addition for collectors drawn to works that blend nature, symbolism, and expressive simplicity.
Born into an aristocratic family of gold merchants, Kartick Chandra Pyne took an interest in art at an early age.
The older cousin of Ganesh Pyne, another remarkable Indian modernist,
K. C. Pyne graduated in fine arts from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta, in 1955. Later, he taught at Calcutta’s Indian College of Arts and Draughtsmanship in the 1970s, and the Academy of Fine Arts in the ’80s.
One of India’s foremost surrealist painters who was influenced by artists such as Rabindranath Tagore, Marc Chagall, and Joan Miró, Pyne famously said, ‘I did not really know that I worked in the surrealist style till it was pointed out to me.’ His works, spontaneous and individualistic, had surreal imagery in bold colours. A four-time winner of the award of the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta, Pyne had represented India in the exhibition titled ‘100 Years of Modern Indian Art’ held at the Fukuoka Museum, Japan, in 1979.
An intensely private person, he preferred to pause, reflect and focus on painting while exploring a range of subjects — myth, fables, human stories, culture, memories, fantasy, erotica — in a vibrant palette. Art, for Pyne, was an intimate approach, thus requiring the artist to still the mind and experience the meditative aspect of creation.
Nothing stopped him, not even a paralytic stroke that affected the left side of his body in 1994. In fact, in the late ’90s, Pyne painted his acclaimed nude series. He was painting till a year before his death, for as long as he could hold a brush, at his home in Kolkata.
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