Ba Gyan
Encyclopedia
Ba Gyan was a pioneering Burmese cartoonist, who created the first cartoon movie released in Burma in 1935. Ba Gyan's cartoons covered a wide variety of topics and events, and ridiculed human frailties such as discourtesy, dishonesty, snobbery, arrogance, inefficiency and sloth.
Ba Gyan was born in 1902 at Nyaungdon
, the son of a silk merchant. He was admitted to Yangon College in 1924, and the University magazine included his first cartoon in 1926. After that, his work began to appear in several journals, including the Phauk Seit cartoon in the Thuriya newspaper. He also drew Magazine covers and water colour paintings, and wrote novels under the pen name Thonnya, meaning zero. He created the cartoon films Kyetaungwa in 1934 and Athuya in 1935, working with cartoonist Hein Son.
Ba Gyan's 1937 comic book Ko Pyoo and Ma Pyone was the first Myanmar comic for young people. He pioneered the crucial role of news cartoons in newspapers such as The Botataung
, The Mirror
and Myanma Alin. After the war, his Zayakati cartoon appeared in the Hanthawaddy newspaper. During a drive to stamp out corruption in the post-independence period, he collaborated with Ngwe Gaing
to produce a series of powerful and effective posters. It is said that after the death of his wife around 1948, his cartoon character "Hpyauk Seik" began to appear in the garb of a holy mendicant, reflecting his sorrow. But he continued to produce the cartoon.
Ba Gyan won the Alinga Kyawzwa award for his artistic skill. He used to hold a cartoon show on 13th street, where he lived, each year during Tazaungdaing festival, a custom that was continued after his death by his pupils such as cartoonist Pe Thein. Although the annual show was later abandoned, it was revived in 2010. In June 2002, an exhibition of his cartoons was staged at the meeting hall of Myanmar Traditional Artists and Artisans in Yangon
, with speakers talking about his work, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The celebration included a competition for modern Burmese cartoonists.
Ba Gyan was born in 1902 at Nyaungdon
Nyaungdon
Nyaungdon is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Myanmar. It is the seat of the Nyaungdon Township in the Maubin District....
, the son of a silk merchant. He was admitted to Yangon College in 1924, and the University magazine included his first cartoon in 1926. After that, his work began to appear in several journals, including the Phauk Seit cartoon in the Thuriya newspaper. He also drew Magazine covers and water colour paintings, and wrote novels under the pen name Thonnya, meaning zero. He created the cartoon films Kyetaungwa in 1934 and Athuya in 1935, working with cartoonist Hein Son.
Ba Gyan's 1937 comic book Ko Pyoo and Ma Pyone was the first Myanmar comic for young people. He pioneered the crucial role of news cartoons in newspapers such as The Botataung
The Botataung
The Botataung was a national Burmese language daily newspaper based out of Yangon in Myanmar. The paper, founded in 1958 by Thein Pe Myint, was arguably the leading leftist newspaper prior to its nationalization in 1964 by Gen. Ne Win's government...
, The Mirror
Kyemon
Kyemon is a state-owned Burmese language daily newspaper based in Yangon, Myanmar. Along with Myanmar Alin, Kyemon is one of two Burmese language national newspapers in the country...
and Myanma Alin. After the war, his Zayakati cartoon appeared in the Hanthawaddy newspaper. During a drive to stamp out corruption in the post-independence period, he collaborated with Ngwe Gaing
Ngwe Gaing
Ngwe Gaing was a Burmese artist who worked in both oil and watercolor. After the death of his teacher Ba Nyan, he was recognized as the greatest living painter in Myanmar. He had great influence on the next generation of artists, and his works are now highly sought after.-Life:Of Burmese Chinese...
to produce a series of powerful and effective posters. It is said that after the death of his wife around 1948, his cartoon character "Hpyauk Seik" began to appear in the garb of a holy mendicant, reflecting his sorrow. But he continued to produce the cartoon.
Ba Gyan won the Alinga Kyawzwa award for his artistic skill. He used to hold a cartoon show on 13th street, where he lived, each year during Tazaungdaing festival, a custom that was continued after his death by his pupils such as cartoonist Pe Thein. Although the annual show was later abandoned, it was revived in 2010. In June 2002, an exhibition of his cartoons was staged at the meeting hall of Myanmar Traditional Artists and Artisans in Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, with speakers talking about his work, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The celebration included a competition for modern Burmese cartoonists.