Gond art is a form of Contemporary art. It hails from the Gond tribal community which is amongst the biggest aboriginal communities of Central India. Their art is a medium to express their daily life’s quest. It holds the faith which says that seeing a good image, begets good fortune. So, the Gonds use customary motifs and tattoos to adorn their dwellings as well as their floors. The Gond paintings gel with works of a modern art gallery. The art bears an arresting resemblance to Northern Australia aborigines’ art. It is surprising that the psychedelic images echo community motivation which has never been exposed to advancement of modern art. The works can be flamboyant or sophisticated and simple when done with only black and white colors. Each artwork is individual in terms of interpretation and expression. Explore this write-up to gain more info about this creative excellence.
Origin and Development
The Gonds reside mostly in Madhya Pradesh and adjoining States. They traditionally painted their homes’ mud walls and floors during festivities and marriages using colored muds. Initially, they used to do it as a decorative and symbolic art which could fight off evil and invite optimism during festivals called Dighna. Dighna celebrated occasions of Gond tribals’ lives. Beginning in the early part of 80s of the last century, some artistic Pardhan Gonds who were traditionally and professionally bardic priests changed their ceremony performing arts to narrative and figurative visual art. For this, they employed various modern media and created exceptional representation of their traditional songs, oral histories and mythological and natural worlds. The media they used included drawings in ink on paper, animated film, painting on canvas with acrylic and silkscreen prints.
The first Gond artist to employ canvas and paper for his artworks was Jangarh Singh Shyam. Beginning with painting the traditional way, he switched to different creativity mediums. His life’s mission was to train the Patangarh (a Madhya Pradesh village) residents in this art form. He rose to fame which his exhibitions in Tokyo and Paris mark with great acclaim. With the course of time Gond art has switched onto canvas and paper by talented artists.
Style
Gond paintings materialize like a collage of dashes and dots. The collage combines into bright images of animals and plants, articulating folklores. The art is in black and white as well as colored variety. These pieces of creativity are affluent in color, humor, detail and mystery. They are brilliant in using modern means for evoking the psyche which is pre-modern. Gond artworks have not only gone through theme-experimentation but have also made medium go through innovations. The Gond paintings’ nuances don’t begin and end with patterning. Brilliant hues express souls’ language. Signature styles form essence. They are employed intrinsically for filling the ornamental motifs and patterns of the surface. Such signature styles define individualism and allusiveness of every Gond artist.
Subjects
Gond art echoes with culturally distinguished ethos. It is inspired by legends and myths to everyday life images. It also considers surreality of dreams, imagination and emotions. The dominant subjects include complex detailing of fauna and flora and mythological beasts. Nature, Symbols used represent Mother Nature along with her bounties.
Colors, Tools and Techniques
Colors are derived from natural sources. For instance, black from local soils, white from rock calcium and yellow from Narmada River banks. As mediums, charcoal and lime are used that form several ornamental paintings, when it comes to painting homes, particularly. An outline commences the art which is filled using block colors. When it dries, elaborate patterning is done. It imparts three-dimensional effect to the designs.
Artists
A prominent Gond artist is Suresh Kumar Dhurwe. His drawings are stuffed with small dash series. Bhajju Shyam (a globally famous artist) is credited with ‘The London Jungle Book’ (2005) which is critically acclaimed. Proteges of Jangarh Singh Shyam consist of mentioning his son Bhajju Shyam. The latter is inspired by folklores, nature as well as the Gond pantheon. A linked dancers’ chain mark his signature pattern. Rajendra and Venkat are other artists who have the credit to paint cells for animation film-‘The best of the best’ having a company based in Scotland as its producer. Both the artists have painted ‘Udta Hathi’ which is a fiberglass elephant weighing 70 Kgs. It commemorated London’s parade mela. Rajendra’s artworks have witnessed exhibition in London. More eminent artists include the names of Ram Singh Urveti, Japani Shyam , Narmada Prasad Tekam and Durga Bai.
Gond Artpieces
A number of Gond artpieces are widely laudable. ‘Tree of Life’ is one of them. It shows the tree rising from deer horns. It represents accord in existence and interdependence among living beings. As a harmonious symbol, it brings good luck and peace. Durga Bai’s creations illustrate a movement and vitality within. Her narratives are hued intensely and talk about deities and folk tales.
Gond art has enthralled the global art market. It has carved a niche for itself through its exceptional moods and tones of compelling and vibrant patterns. With such international exposure, lives of the tribal artists have transformed. They are encouraged to rise above cultural fences and dip the idiom of the universe in paints according to a special way of their own. Gond paintings have stepped in the contemporary scenario. You can easily spot them on mouse-pads, keychains, pen stands and mugs. So, when you visit a store next time, you may not resist the temptation to buy a cool tee embellished with Gond motifs to team up with your favorite jeans.
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