Gond art is a form of painting made by Gond Tribe. One of the major tribal communities of Central India, the Gond; that inhabits part of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh & parts of Maharashtra. These regions are rich in cultural legacy and have distinctive art & craft. Gond People dwell in nature with their inherent artistic skill & represent the magic of colourful forms with dots and lines. This research paper tries to put forward and ethnographic study of Gond tribal art of Patangarh District of Madhya Pradesh, its tradition, present scenario, and the effort made by various institutions / Government agencies to rejuvenate the heritage and create livelihood for these artisans.
The word “Gond” comes from the Dravidian expression kond, meaning “the green mountain.” The work of Gond artists is rooted in their folk tales and culture, and thus story-telling is a strong element of every painting.
Origin of Gond Art
Gond Kingdoms situated in the northern, central and southern parts of India. With the advent of Mughal and company power (British Rule) in India, they were gradually deprived of their kingdoms and their land and their existence was truly vulnerable. The Pardhans’ practice of music and song was lost during Mughal rule and continued to sink during the British rule when members of the Gond tribe clashed with British colonialists. There was also an attempt to strip the tribal’s of their wealth with stringent revenue taxes and land laws. In The Folk Songs of Chhattisgarh, (1946), translated by Verrier Elwin and Shamrao Hivale, in there book “Songs of the forest; the folk poetry of the Gonds” , one song goes:
“In this kingdom of the English
How hard it is to live
To pay the cattle tax
We have sell a cow
To pay the forest tax
We have to sell a bullock
How are we to get our food?”
(Ministry of Panchayati Raj, 2008).
Gonds voiced their agony through their songs. Through their festivals and rituals, songs and dances, they remained ingrained in their culture. But their young men started moving out towards cities in search of livelihood. When the social standing of the Gonds dwindled, the provisions they formerly made for the Pardhans as the chroniclers of family histories and mythologists died out. The Pardhan community gave up past bard traditions and had to unfortunately resort to manual and menial labor in order to survive.
Global Influence
As a result of the efforts by the Indian Government to promote and showcase the beauty of tribal art, Gond paintings have become quite popular. There have been exhibitions of Gond paintings in many parts of the world, especially in Japan. Gond paintings can sell for anywhere between INR 2,000/- and INR 2,50,000/-
Style of Gond: Lines and Dots
Gond art is basically linear art with a wide variety of lines and small dots. Gond artists draw the outline with utmost care. Similarly the filling is also done with thin and tiny strokes and dots. After the flat color application is completed then the lines with other colors are added which totally transform the imagery with utmost perfection. Eyes of the spectator harmoniously slip from one point to another with the flowy movement of lines. Dots and dashes add minute details to art work. Bright and vivid color scheme increase the beauty of folk lore.
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Few Interesting Facts !
- The Pardhan Gonds are also are accomplished singers and many paintings are visual depictions of these songs.
- Gond paintings are popularly drawn during major festivals like Holi, Diwali, etc.
- Gond paintings are of such a good quality that it isn’t uncommon for them to last 20 years or so, without any external tampering.
- It is said that Gond paintings resemble aboriginal art from Australia. Gond art is also known as aboriginal art of India
- Gond paintings have also become quite common on wooden trays, boxes and other miscellaneous objects which have helps to increase its popularity and spread awareness.
