" MASTER INDIAN FOLK ARTISTS"

                                                    GOND  Paintings

                                                                           by

                                Venkat Raman Singh Shyam       

India is blessed to have such a rich tradition of folk art from different parts of the country . We are even more lucky that these traditional art forms have not been allowed to die, and have been revived , nutured, encouraged and exposed by several organisaions, most notably by Paramparik Karigar . I have been involved with Paramparik Karigar since its inception and seen first hand the amazing work they do .

These wonderful people have really worked hard and hand picked the master artists, who have raised their art to a level, where it can now be considered as fine art . These are mere labels, but when you see the dedication, fineness and love that is pured into these paintings, you understand what " art " is truly about .  

JAMAAT is proud to host shows of these master folk artists . They deserve better exposure to show their fine work, and from 15th September onwards till early December ' 09, we will be doing 4 shows of different folk art forms painted by these master folk artists .

GOND PAINTING

BY VENKAT RAMAN SINGH SHYAM

8th October ' 09 to 2nd November ' 09

Throughout our history , we find a definite established tradition of painting on various objects , specially on intimate objects of daily use , floors , walls , and in every case , the depiction is associated with some rituals . Folk paintings of Madhya Pradesh , sepcially the wall paintings of Bundelkhand , Gondwana , Nimar and Malwa are living expression of people intrinsically linked with the social and cultural ambience of the area . They are not just mere decoration but also spontaneous outpourings of religious devotions . 

Tribal paintings though popular among most tribes in Madhya Pradesh , is well developed as an art among the Gond tribes of Mandala District . The Gonds are the largest tribal group in Madhya Pradesh and are well known for their rich cultural heritasge which is seen in their stories , music , dance and paintings . The word Gond comes from the dravidian expression kond , meaning green mountain .

Gond paintings are fascinating , where the artists express their faiths and beliefs , world view , their visual expression and sense of identity , both as a collective , and as a individuals . Gond painting are based bascially on line work . The artist draw the inner and outer lines with utmost care that so striking in their precision and perfection . The imaginative use of the line imparts a sense of movement of still images . These paintings are found in the inner and outer walls of the houses , windows and niches . The colours are mainly black and white , red , blue and yellow . The paintings are based on the oral narratives of the Gonds . The motifs are further associated with the rich repertoire of the community and strongly show the interactions with the cosmic , natural and social world of humans at multiple levels and contexts . Local deities , cock fights , forest scense , agriculture , marriages and other rituals find a place in these paintings . Gond artist paint their lives vivdly , drawing from their heritage which gives them a rich canvas .

Master artist of this folk art  form is VENKAT RAMAN SINGH SHYAM

Shyam Venkat Raman Singh was born in 1970 to a family of the Pradhan tribal community of Gonds . He started painting at the age of 10 , but as the family was too poor , he had to work as a daily labourer and stop studying . However he perservered in his art and inspired by the legendary Gond artist Jangarh Sungh Shyam and contemporary artist J. Swaminathan , he dedicated himself to Gond painting . He has shown in many exhibitions in India , Spain and UK and has won many awards including the Madhya Pradesh State Award , " The tallest story Competition " trophy in Scotland . He is helped in his painting by his wife and they live in Bopal .

The Pradhans are a sub - tribe of the Gonds , mostly living in the Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh . One of their important social functions is to preserve the myths and legends of the clan using oral compositions , and to perform during rituals . The main traditional profession of the Pradhan was to play the musicial instruments kigri and to decorate the houses with paintings .

Do come and see these master artists and their exquisite rendition of our folk art .

Gallery hours 11 am to 7 pm [ except Sundays ]

 Pravina Mecklai