Of Lines and Dots -The Gond Art

The freedom of imagination is a gift the Gond artists inherit. The Gonds are a tribal group from Madhya Pradesh and surrounding states. They capture the charming life around them uniquely and creatively. What started as murals on their mud houses has expanded to stunning larger than life artworks sold worldwide.

The main source of inspiration is the nature and life that surrounds the artists. The name Gond comes from ‘Kond’ (also Khond, Kondh, or Kandha) translates as "mountaineer" and probably has origins from the Dravidian word konda meaning "hill." Folklores are so entwined with nature that they become part of the visual narrative as well. Right from a subtle blade of grass to the transcendent Mother Earth, their love and appreciation for life is evident right through.

Simple lines and dots are meticulously and imaginatively drawn to depict a scene. Wavy lines become water, cross hatching transforms into a basket, diagonal lines bloom into a leaf, spirals become ripples, a cluster of dots add texture, bold lines define the subject. Each artist has a signature style that is distinguished in the kind of details that they draw.

Today, many talented Gond artists’ works can be seen in art galleries internationally. Something is stunning in the simplistic forms and repeating patterns seen in the Gond Art. They believe that seeing beautiful art will bring them good fortune- after all art does soothe the soul!

References
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/konds
https://artsandculture.google.com
https://engrave.in/blog/gond-art/