Lot Essay
Born in Bangladesh, Ganesh Haloi moved to Calcutta after the Partition of India in 1947. Attending the Government Institute of Arts and Crafts, Haloi graduated in 1956 and joined the Archeological Survey of India, immersing himself in the study and replication of the famous Buddhist murals preserved in the Ajanta caves. Haloi's painting focuses on the exploration of landscape. His early works, which often include figures, show a penchant for naturalism evolving slowly into the more abstract and uninhabited paintings of today. This work reflects the logic of an aerial photograph or bird's-eye view, organizing the complicated forests and cities into a simplified quilt of color and texture.