Acclaimed painter Ganesh Payne died following cardiac arrest here Monday, family sources Tuesday said. He was 76.

Payne received international fame for his experiments with all forms of media, particularly the tempera.

The veteran artist complained of chest pain Monday morning and was rushed to a private hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Born Jan 1, 1937, Pyne was influenced by Abanindranath Tagore, one of the father figures of modern Indian art, as also Frans Hals-Rembrandt and Paul Klee.

Pyne graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata in 1959 and, for some time, sketched animation films in a studio.

In 1963, he joined the Society of Contemporary Artists, beginning as a water colourist in the Bengal School Mode and one of his first paintings was "Winter's Morning" which received much praise.

Boats, dark doors and windows, misty mornings, wayside temples, birdman, Chaitanya (leader of the Bhakti movement) and animals were Pyne's favourite subjects, and his creations were rich in imagery and symbolism.

He participated in various group exhibitions including the Paris Biennale in 1969, contemporary Indian Painting in West Germany in 1970, as also various other shows in Europe, Asia and North America.

Pyne was given the Shiromani Puraskar in 1985 and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture Award in 1973, besides other honours.

Condoling Pyne's death, artist Samir Aich said his work would remain relevant for a thousand years.