USN-1RW22AT057

Introduction
The word ‘Gond’ comes from the Dravidian expression
‘Kond’ which means ‘green mountain’. Gond painting is a
famous folk art of the Gond tribal community of central India.
It is a form of painting from folk and tribal art that is
practiced by one of the largest tribes in India – the Gond –
who are predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, but can also
be found in pockets of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. The history of the Gond people
dates nearly 1400 years. Blended with mystery, pattern, blend
of colours and humour, these art pieces depict a modern
psyche.
• Gond art has its own distinct characteristics. The
paintings use vibrant colors like orange, yellow, blue
and red, and are created with articulately drawn lines
and dots as the method to bring it to life. With natural
colors obtained from various sources like flowers,
stones, etc. are used for the creation of these beautiful
paintings. Over the years, the Gond artists have
developed their own devices to work with various
contemporary mediums and materials.
 Purpose of the art
form

• The purpose of gond art was to

preserve the cultural heritage of
the gond tribe in central India.
• the Gond paintings are known
as the expression of love for
nature and quest for life. The
central idea behind decorating
the mud walls of the Gond
people is to highlight their firm
belief in the saying that ‘viewing
a good image begets good luck’.
 TOOLS
Gond artisans use a
combination of hand
tools including chisels,
hammers, saws and
knives to make their art
and crafts. These tools
are used to shape and dig
wood, stone and other
materials.
 Methods
• Gond paintings can be described
as ‘on line work’. Art is created
out of carefully drawn lines. Lines
are used in such a way to convey
a sense of movement to still
images.
• Dots and dashes are added to
impart a greater sense of
movement and increase the
amount of detail. Another very
striking facet of Gond paintings is
the use of bright vivid colours
such as white, red, blue and
yellow.
• The paints are usually derived
naturally from objects such as
charcoal, coloured soil, plant
sap, mud, flowers, leaves and
even cow dung.
• That said, due to the scarcity of
natural colours, Gond artists
have begun to use poster
colours and use canvas to paint
on.
• Gond paintings bear a
remarkable likeness aboriginal
art from Australia as both
styles use dots to create the
painting.
• Yet in the simplicity lies incredible intricacy and
care.
• “A special soil, freely available in local areas,
called Pidor is used for preparing the surface of
the wall for the painting.
 TECHNIQUES
• One of the most noticeable and easily
recognizable features of Gond
painting is the line and dot technique
used to create entire paintings. These
lines and dots impart a sense of
dynamism and movement on the
canvas, immediately capturing the
attention of its viewers. Paintings are
also commonly done on mud walls.
Generally, a mix of natural colours is
used from earthen materials such as
wooden coal, tree sap, red soil, sem
leaves and even cow dung.
 Stories and
Symbolism
in Gond Art
“Trees are very important in
Gond art. For humans and
animals alike – for animals
and for birds too, trees are
the most important – in
summer, to protect them
from the sun and during the
monsoon season to protect
from the rain. Trees provide
nourishment and food too”
says artist Venkat Raman
Singh Shyam.
• Ganja Mahua Tree: It tells the story of a Brahman (upper caste) girl and Chamar
(lower caste) boy - when they fell in love, society did not accept them. So they
renounced everything and went into the forest and later were reborn as Ganja and
Mahua trees. Hence, it is said that Ganja and Mahua should not be drunk together
as they can never be together.

Saja Tree: The Saja Tree is worshipped by the Bada Dev (Big God) and by the Gond
community.

Pakri Tree: When new leaves bloom from this tree, the Gond community eats a
dish (saag) made out of these leaves and this protects them from many diseases
and illnesses.

Peepal Tree: The Peepal tree is where the Gods (Devtas) reside and thus the Peepal
tree is considered the most important.

Tamarind Tree: The Tamarind tree also plays an important role for tribal people
because they use tamarind fruit for chutney and sell the fruit for their livelihoods.
Many people in the Gond community place a platform for gods or goddess under
the tree
 Symbolism
• The Gond people believe that seeing a
good image attracts good luck, a reason
why they used to decorate the walls
and floors of their homes with
traditional motifs. These paintings have
also been used by them as a way to
record their history.
• Although Gond paintings have been
centuries-old, with the passage of time,
this art form has gradually shifted from
the mud walls of the houses to canvas
and papers. Apart from deriving
inspirations from legends and myths,
these paintings majorly feature nature
as their main subject.
Composition
The Gond painters are
traditionally known for
filling the surface of the
subjects of their paintings
with some unique motifs.
The forms, shapes, and
sizes of the motifs of their
paintings are highly
influenced by nature,
beliefs, folklore, culture
and traditions of the
community.
 MOTIFS
Birds, trees and animals are recurring
motifs. Birds like peacocks, sparrows,
and owls are popular forms in
paintings.Trees with long flowing,
multiple branches are also frequently
seen.Fine dots, lines and dashes are
used to create the images in Gond art.
The minute infilling of the motifs is a
significant characteristic of Gond art.
Each artist evolves his signature
infilling pattern. Spiral forms are also
a notable feature.
 EVOLUTION OF
GOND ART
• In olden days the artisans used buds
and sticks made out of natural
material like stick of a neem tree.
Lately, it has been observed that the
use of brushes, acrylic colors, batik
technique, digital printing, hand
embroidery, machine embroidery,
stonework, and sequences are
becoming quite common.
• These new approaches have
transformed the traditional Gond
painting into a more contemporary art
form.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
• www.wikipedia.com
• https://www.memeraki.com
• http://indianculture.gov.in
• https://gondart-india.com