The Journey of Gond Art: From Mud Walls to International Galleries

24-Dec-2024

Blog :: Culture

Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh

While a number of traditional Indian arts and crafts are popular across the globe, Gond Adivasi Chitrakala holds a significant place of its own. Gond paintings showcase the unbreakable bond between nature and human civilisation. The word 'Gond' comes from the word 'Kond', which means green mountains. While the history of Gond art can be traced back to ancient times, roughly around 2000 years ago. What makes this indigenous art form popular is its uncanny depiction of nature and culture through abstract motifs and the use of bright colours and intricate details. Gond adivasis are considered to be blessed with an ability to express their imagination through arts and crafts. The art began as wall decorations for decorating mud houses of Gond people. Late Jangarh Singh Shyam is said to be a pioneer of Gond art and is believed to have brought global recognition to the art form. Hailing from Patangarh, his Gond artworks were displayed at many national and international Galleries by the 80's . Bhajju Shyam, believed to be the first-ever Gond artist and Padma Shree awardee, also began his training as a child with the late Jangarh Singh Shyam.  


Themes of Gond paintings

Gond paintings are a reflection of the culture, traditions, folklore and everyday life of the Pradhan Gond community, who are residents of Patangarh village in Madhya Pradesh. As forest dwellers, the community is closely associated with nature, which is eventually expressed through beautiful art pieces. From Dumar to Babul tree, elements of nature not only find prominence in their art but are also considered auspicious by the Gond community, including fauna such as cows, goats, tigers, bears, elephants, peacocks and others. Members of the Pradhan community, a sub-group of Gond people are believed to be flag-bearers of the art form. They were also believed to be storytellers, which is why the subject of many Gond paintings are mythological tales/figures and historic events associated with their culture. It is quite intriguing to observe that unlike Hindu Gods and Goddesses, deities represented in Gond paintings are not defined with any specific form but are rather established underneath a tree with a painted stone. These deities are often related to elements of nature such as trees, snakes, tortoises or other birds and animals. 


From Then to Now

While the history of Gond Art goes back to ancient times, modern artists are  revamping the art form by adding a contemporary touch to it. Vibrant subjects or objects that appear to be in motion - cars, airplanes and historical architectures - are now a part of modern versions of Gond art. Artists like Japani Shyam, Rajender Shyam, Mayank Shyam and Bhajju Shyam have gained recognition internationally because of their ability to combine modernism with the tribal essence of Gond paintings. Most Gond artists have moved the style from painting them on mudwalls to canvas. Artists have started replacing charcoal, mud and vegetable colours with acrylic and contemporarising the designs while using traditional motifs. Initially, old motifs never showed human forms but now artists have started painting faces in Adivasi styles. 


Steps taken by Authorities 

On April 2023, the famed Gond paintings received a GI tag, marking a significant milestone in the history of the art form. With the help of the authorities and the implementation of schemes like National Rural Livelihood Mission and National Urban Livelihood Mission, Gond artists are now generating a sufficient source of income for their families. The Madhya Pradesh government established an art centre called Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, which has become one of the most important art centres and museums across the country. Beautiful Gond paintings are on display in the Bhavan that are admired by tourists.


A Gond painting can sell between a thousand rupees to millions, depending on the intricacy of the work and the material used. It is quite impressive to trace the journey of the art form, from village walls and mud houses to international galleries and the global art market.