Gond Painting- An Indian Art Form , Tribal Art and Theme Painting
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Every individual is bestowed with a unique ability to pursue his/her own interests which distinguishes him/her from the others. For example some have a great inclination towards the aspects of culture and tradition, whereas few find solace in collecting artifacts, paintings and books. Many of us are nature lovers too. What kind of interests do you pursue? Are you someone who would love to know and explore more about the lives of our indigenous people, their culture and their various art forms & crafts? Or, are you, in fact a practitioner of some art form and dream of achieving high and reach a place where you can be a role model for others? If so, then the book From Mud Walls to Paper and Canvas authored byDr. Alka Pandey is a must read for you. The book succinctly narrates the untold story of the genius artist from a small village of central India who made an indelible impression with his art at ‘Magician’s of the Earth Exhibition’ at Pompidou Museum, Paris. He painted two enormous walls within a span of 24 hours and blew it up beyond scale. What he ended up with was actually an entire galaxy of ideas that he had represented on the walls, achieved through a brilliant mixture of color and themes. It was beyond belief for everyone.
You guessed it right! We are referring to the art form called Gond painting and, in particular, its pioneer Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962–2001). The Gond tribes used to draw freehand on the walls of the houses and originally used four different-colour muds found in the forest. Their paintings were integral to their occasions of festivity, rituals and day-to-day living. The women would go to the forest to collect these colours. Their ancestors drew on the walls and the floor of their huts in those villages amid the forests. The themes revolved around jungles and the tribal life done in a simple and neat way. Jangarh Singh Shyam gave a new meaning to the Gond painting and made it visible on international platforms. His patterns and colours were uniquely his own. He painted enchanted forests, majestic trees, magical snakes, birds, animals and everything he had come across in his early age. He experimented with new mediums including canvas and acrylic paints. The world celebrated his story-telling and unexpected shapes and colours – from simple ink drawings to ambitious large scale murals on iconic buildings. Since his first appearance at the Pompidou Museum in Paris, his work created a big buzz across art galleries all over the world until his shocking death in 2001. Jangarh typically used colored dots in his work and created an astonishing range of unprecedented effects. The bright and unconventional colours and textures in Jangarh’s artworks were distinctive of his style, which came to be known as the ‘Jangarh Kalam’.
Through her book Dr. Alka Pandey pays a rich tribute to Jangarh. The book “ From Mud Wall to Paper And Canavas” elaborates upon the theme of Gond Art which basically uses lines and dots in an intriguing manner. The lines, in fact, are used in such a way that gives an idea of movement to the still images. The dots and dashes are added to further impart a greater sense of movement and to increase the amount of detail. Dr. Alka Pandey has been successful in providing a gripping narrative of both the
The book is divided into Four Sections. Section one deals with the specificities of the Indigenous Art forms and Culture of India. Section two introduces Janghar to the readers and discusses the turning point of the Master’s life and his destiny. In particular, his journey from a small village of India to Canberra, the capital of Australia, has been narrated. Section three is devoted to the rich heritage of the Gond art. In Section four, the legacy of Jangarh Singh Shyam gradually unfolds. I enjoyed the way the author has presented the narrative. The story inspired me a lot as it goes on to prove that human lives are like canvas enriched by all the colours of life. The distress and failures at different stages of life though temporarily shocks us, but, at the same time, also ushers into a new path or the new way of handling the brush of paint on our canvas.
What wonderful creativity – a joy to view!
Wonderful 😊 both at art and the write-up
My best wishes to you and your future endeavors.