The Tale of India’s Gond Tribal Art

The Tale of India’s Gond Tribal Art India is a subcontinent with deep-rooted cultures and traditions. The  folklore goes back to hundreds of years. Although with rapid  urbanisation the traditional way of life is gradually losing its lustre, but  the art form still remains. , with local artisans struggling each day to  keep their inherited craft alive. One such interesting art form is India’s  Gond Tribal Art. Gond Art is an unique form of a​ ncient Indian art​ that  was carried on by the Gonds – one of the largest tribes in Central  India, especially in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Gond Art is one of  the oldest tribal arts that truly encapsulates the essence of the tribal  art in India.   

How it started…  The vibrant, imaginative and mystical Gond Art was started by the  Gond tribe as a favourite pastime and the paintings were typically  done on the walls of their ​homes​, which echoed the customs of their  ancestors who dwelled in caves and who were primarily forbearers.  These paintings depicted the lifestyle & belief of the Gond tribe.  Similar to other tribal art, Gond Art too illustrates the folk tales and  culture vividly. The paintings that were usually done on the walls of  their homes portray their beliefs, surrounding & faiths,   While other paintings which were carefully painted on the walls of  other places of public gatherings, like shops or small schools  depicted the roots of the Gond Tribe – and outlined the local flora,  fauna, celebrations, festivals, deities of worship, folk myths and tales  and so on. Thus, storytelling is a very strong element in the Gond Art.   Gond Art is also believed to bring fortune.. This belief stems from the  faith that a beautiful Gond Art brings good luck and wards off evil.  The Gond Art is also primarily characterized by the imaginative use  of lines and dots which brings a sense of balance and symmetry into  the paintings. The resulting ​paintings a​ re bright, vibrant and colourful,  generally painted using natural colours that are derived from  charcoal, cow dung, leaves, flowers and plant saps   What’s Gond Art like today…  The descendants of the Gond Tribe have taken the art to paper and  canvas today, making these beautiful vibrant paintings come into  the limelight. Art connoisseurs from across the country buy these 

paintings and bring life to their art walls in their homes or on the walls  of an art museum.   The elements of Gond Art Paintings still remain the same, with artists  trying to cover the aspects of lifestyle of a typical Gond Tribal family.  Today, Gond Art is recognized as one of the most popular and rather  unusual forms of Tribal Art, making its way into ​Tribal handicrafts of  India​ that have high artistic value.   The bright and cheerful outlook of the paintings make them  interesting pieces of art. However, the colours used by modern day  Gond Artists are synthesized with chemicals to bring more variety to  the paintings and also owing to the unavailability of natural colours  today. The aesthetic, traditional and mysterious Gond Art brings to  life the very soul of the Gond Tribe back to life – reflecting India’s rich  artistic heritage at its best!