Gond paintings are a form of folk and tribal art painting that is practiced by one of India's largest tribes. Gond is derived from the Dravidian word, Kond, which means 'The Green Mountain.' Though Gond paintings are considered to be mainly from Madhya Pradesh, they are also very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, and Odisha. The paintings were already being made in the region of Madhya Pradesh for a very long time as the history of the Gond people goes back almost 1400 years. Jangarh Singh Shyam, Bhajju Shyam, Durgabai Vyam, and Venkat Singh Shyam are some famous Gond artists.

The Pardhan Gonds:

The Pardhan Gonds were renowned for their artistic skills. The Gond people have a belief that viewing a good image begets good luck. According to the Gond belief system, a spirit inhabits each and everything, whether it is a hill, river, rock, or a tree, and is therefore sacred. The paintings by the Gond people represent the near relation of man with his natural environment. Gond paintings can best be described as ‘on line work’. Lines are used in such a way that it conveys a sense of movement to the still images. Dots and dashes are added to impart a greater sense of movement and increase the amount of detail.

Feature of a Gond painting:

• The use of clear, vibrant colors such as white, red, blue, and yellow is just another very striking feature of Gond paintings. 

• Objects such as charcoal, colored dirt, plant sap, leaves, and even cow dung are typically naturally generated from the paints. 

• Gond paintings are popularly drawn during major festivals like Holi, and Diwali on wooden trays, boxes, and other miscellaneous objects. Gond paintings have also become very frequent, helping to increase their popularity and spread awareness. 

• Modern paintings by Gond are not painted on walls and floors but are painted on canvas instead. This ensures that shipping, carrying, and hanging on a wall is not only much easier, but the use of canvas makes the paintings stand out much better than if they were made on a wall. 

• In the modern period, Gond artists have begun to use poster colors due to the lack of natural colors. Combined with the use of canvas, this has made modern Gond paintings even more vibrant than their traditional counterparts.

• Now it is a trend to wear Gond paintings as a part of the fashion on your clothes. 

We, at Pranjal Arts, have a Folk art collection that displays the beautiful cultures of various tribes. When we met the Gond tribe, we realized that most of these artists’ families who were in the trade for generations have given up on Gond art and picked up doing manual labor at construction sites. So the new generation does not know the skill and the art is slowly dying. Even the present artisan generation travels to the capital (Bhopal, or even Delhi) frequently, to present their works at exhibitions and earn some money. These paintings were sourced directly from the heritage villages of Madhya Pradesh, in order to help support and encourage the folk art of India. There is a 20% discount on all paintings till 15th January so hurry up and purchase an authentic, handmade, Indian masterpiece before the sale ends!