Last year, a visit to Satpura National Park concluded with a solo trip exploring Bhopal. It didn’t take me long to finalize the agenda. Soon I set out to witness tribal culture at the Tribal Museum which boasts of many a stories from the forests of Madhya Pradesh. Months later, a conversation about that museum got me intrigued yet again when my friend from Tiny Creek mentioned about a workshop on Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh. Today, she shares with us the overwhelming experience of being a part of something that’s as pious as art.
India truly lives in its villages and recounts countless tales through its rural and tribal art. Paintings and drawings have a rich legacy and are born out of a simple need to do up their homes and surroundings. These folk paintings invariably bring out the history and culture associated with the community and the region. Personally no visit to a place or region is complete without at least one artistic experience. The best ones are those where I not only get to see the folk art but also interact with the artists and see them at work.
One wintry evening, out of the blue I got to know about a workshop on Gond, a tribal art of Madhya Pradesh and hastened to register for it immediately. I already had a keen interest in Warli, Madhubani and miniature paintings and was eager to know how different Gond art is. The only thing vaguely familiar was its name. The workshop had a facilitator who gave us a brief background and throughout the session, (it was 12 hours session spread over two days) she kept sharing interesting nuggets not only about the art but also the tribal community of Gond. What I know today is mostly because of this interaction.
Picture Taken at The Tribal Museum, Bhopal
Gond art came into being when the tribals started painting the walls of their humble homes. They used colors that could be produced from natural pigments and dyes such as leaves, flowers, bark of the tree and so on. A traditional Gond house till date will boast of these art works. During the course of its evolution it came to be captured on paper and canvas. Elements from nature such as trees, forests, along with animals and birds majorly form the theme of these paintings. Gods and Goddesses are another set of subjects for their work. They are not just “objects” captured on the screen; they have a story to tell.
Picture Taken at The Tribal Museum, Bhopal
The accompanying artist then showed us some of the collective art work done by his fraternity. It was hard to take my eyes off the intricacy and the detailing brought about by the lines and the dots. The choice and spread of colors simply enhanced the beauty of the paintings. I wasn’t sure if I could produce such a marvelous piece even with the readily available pack of 100 pastel shades!
A black pen with a fine nib is used to draw the outlines. The pen continues its work to create intrinsic patterns using small regular curves, fine lines and the dots, within those outlines. Colors are then filled into each section; for the workshop we used acrylic paints. I realized first hand, the painstaking effort and the patience that went into making every single piece. Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh
Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh. Credits – Shutterstock
Once confined only to the tribal hamlet, Gond painting, began to get international acclaim when Bhajju Shyam, one of the most celebrated Gond artists traveled to London in the 1980s. An artist is a boundless soul – this is what Bhajju Shyam proved through his London inspired works. It starts off the moment he experiences his first journey in the aeroplane. His painting equates the aeroplane to a “flying elephant” to capture the jumbo experience of a large creature able to carry the weight of so many people. During his stay in London, he is marveled at technology, well-mannered people and the civic discipline. His imagination continues to take flight. Ben towers is seen as the precise time keeper and depicted as a towering rooster! The London tube manifests on the canvas as the huge slithering serpent transporting passengers from one destination to another. A close look at the painting reveals humans seated inside this serpentine version. The working class women folk are the Goddesses and the backbone of efficiency owing to their multitasking nature.Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh
While deeply engrossed in creating my piece, my thoughts were still running around the works of artists such as Bajju Shyam. Innocence marks his thinking and there is an unmistakable philosophical element in all these works. Such profoundness can emanate from the simplicity of a soul that has thrived in unblemished natural surroundings. Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh
