Introduction
India has a rich artistic heritage that illustrates different things beautifully. Gond art is one of them. It is a tribal painting style that originates from Central Asia. Artists use it to tell a story, symbolize spiritual things, and worship nature. Gond art allows us to get acquainted with the lives and beliefs of the Gond tribal community. It is famous for transforming even the smallest elements of nature into living forms with attractive colours and movement. Today it is famous all across the world..
History Of Gond Art
Gond art is owned by one of India's oldest communities- the Gond tribe, which lives in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, etc.
In ancient times, they used to decorate the walls and floors of their houses with natural colours. They used to make artworks for festivals, crops, weddings, important rituals, and animals.
In the 1980s, they stopped using mud walls for art creation. Instead, they started using Canvas and paper to create beautiful art and impress everyone. Now, you can see Gond art everywhere- from village walls to international galleries. It helps to protect the ancient tribal art in its contemporary form.
Style & Form
We can identify the Gond art because of its unique features:
Attractive colours
Historically, Gond art has been made using natural dyes such as soil, plant sap, turmeric, charcoal, etc. Modern Gond artists use acrylics and poster colours.
Complex Line Work
In Gond art, you can see lines that create amazing patterns and shapes. These lines make paintings more lively and appealing.
Repeated Patterns, Curves, and Dots
Gond paintings have dots, waves, fish-scale patterns, and leaf shapes. It gives the art flow and depth.
More Nature-Centric Themes
Gond art has more natural themes, such as trees, tigers, deer, peacocks, rivers, mountains, moon, stars, night sky, etc. So, it represents the whole cycle of life and divine forces.
Symbolic Forms
In Gond art, each figure has a special meaning, such as
Tigers- Strength
Trees- Growth and life
Birds- Freedom
Fish- Prosperity
Remember, the overall style of Gond Art is spiritual and playful.
Process of Making Gond Art
The creation of Gond art takes time and requires proper attention from artists.
Selection of Story And Concept
First, artists choose a proper story from daily life, dreams, folk stories, and religious books. Their goal is to tell a story on Canvas.
Outlining the Figures
Artists use chalk or pencil, and they create shapes such as humans, animals, trees, etc.
Filling Lines And Patterns
It is the main work of the Gond art done by artists. They fill shapes with cross-hatching, curved strokes, dots, and parallel lines.
All these make the art more appealing and eye-catching.
Color Coating
Artists apply bright colors (green, orange, red, blue, and yellow) in segments to make unique patterns.
Giving The Art A Final Touch
At last, artists add facial expressions, leaves, borders, and other details to complete the art.
Remember, Gond art is handcrafted and displays emotions.
Cultural Significance of Gond Art
Gond art is considered one of India's oldest travel art forms. It displays people's connection with nature, spirituality, and folk stories. Gonds don't consider it just a decoration. For them, it is an effective way to tell stories, preserve ancestral traditions, and demonstrate religious beliefs. The main theme of the Gond art is that every living thing has a spirit. Gond people believe that respecting these spirits brings prosperity and harmony.
Caring for Gond Art
They use this to decorate the walls and floors of homes during festivals, rituals, and harvest celebrations. The artwork is a symbol of protection and good luck for them.
If you take care of the Gond art, it will last longer and keep decorating the space.
- Keep the painting away from direct sunlight. Too much sunlight can make the painting's color fade with time.
- Always frame the Gond art with glass protection. This helps to protect the artwork from dust, humidity, and insects.
- Keep the Gond art away from humidity at all times. It can destroy the artwork. Always keep it in a dry room with air circulation.
- From time to time, clean the outer frame of the Gond art with dry clothes.
- Oil and water can destroy the art completely. Make sure your hands are dry when you touch it.
- Keep the artwork flat in a dry place.
Own a Gond Artwork and carry India's tribal soul. Buy it from Cottage9.
