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Table of Contents • About Us • Introduction • Mythology
• Material Used • Process of Gond Painting • Motifs • Contemporary Adaptations • Additional References
• Image Source
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About Us CraftCanvas is a link between rural artisan communities and the urban customer, translating an ages old craft into something that is relevant today. It is based on the idea of contemporizing Indian Handicrafts through a common platform and canvas where stake holders of the craft community like artisans, designers, craft practitioners, etc can come together to create unique products and experiences suited to modern day living. India has a rich handicraft heritage and we owe this to generations of artisans who have blended tradition, religion, social norms and functionality to bring craft where it is today. However, there has been a significant shift in sensibilities of present-day craft patrons thereby highlighting a need for Handicrafts to adapt to these changes. We believe that there is a place for India’s traditional crafts even in the most modern of spaces and this process of evolution is what CraftCanvas facilitates. Handicraft patrons like you can express your requirements ranging from wall murals, soft furnishings, paintings, furniture and lighting among many others. Our team will assist you in transforming their ideas and aesthetic preferences to final products with a high level of artistry. On the other end, we are constantly forming collaborations between the craft and design community through which an interesting blend of experiences and products are developed. Working with designers, traditional artisans are trained to adapt to this new design scenario. For designers, it gives them an opportunity to create solutions that embody the essence of the craft. Subsequently, these innovations are marketed by CraftCanvas through channels like online store, workshops, exhibitions etc. Please feel free to browse through our site for specific information on our various initiatives and we look forward to welcoming you to our world of crafts.
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Introduction
Traditional Gond Painting
The Gonds are one of the largest tribal communities of Madhya Pradesh, and Gond paintings are one of the mediums for their expressions and understanding of nature. . The word “Gond” comes from the Dravidian expression kond, meaning ‚the green mountain.‛ The Gonds called themselves Koi or Koiture. The recorded history of the Gond people goes back 1400 years, but considering that they inhabit areas where rock paintings dating to the Mesolithic have been found, their antecedents probably date back even further. Many of the Gond customs echo that of their Mesolithic forbearers. An obvious example of this is the custom of decorating the walls of their houses, an activity that may have originated in traditions of their ancestors. The Gond art rendezvous with the belief that "viewing a good image begets good luck". This inherent belief led the Gonds to decorating their houses and the floors with traditional tattoos and motifs in honor of supernatural powers and totemic gods to advert misfortune, to promote fertility, safety and on the occasion of special festivals.
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Mythology
The Bana Singer
Traditional Gond Painting done on the wall of a artisan’s house
The Gonds were mostly farmers and they became patrons to the Pardhan bards who were the keepers of their myths, genealogies and history. For the Gonds, the Pardhans were the helper, advisor and chronicler attached to his tribe by divine command. They were the priests and storytellers entrusted with the very important task of carrying on the traditions and history of the Gond kings and keeping the many traditions and rituals alive through their music and songs. The Pardhan Gonds are musicians, genealogists and story tellers. Gond myths deal with origins and the history of the Gonds. Gonds paid the Pardhans to keep the collective memory alive, and this preserved their communal identity. There are myths to explain the origin of this special relationship between the Gonds and the Pardhans, in which the Pardhan is described as the youngest of twelve Gond brothers and the only one able play the sacred Bana fiddle and awaken the great god Bada Dev who sleeps in the Saja tree. These stories were later transformed on the walls of Gond dwellings in order to preserve them. Gond art, in an almost literal sense then, is the translation of these songs into images.
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Materials Used
Materials used by the artisans for Gond painting
The tribals use very basic material for painting. Colours: Vegetable and mineral dyes derived from flowers, leaves, clay, stones, rice, turmeric, etc. are used Brushes: The brushes are handmade either from a small feather, piece of cotton or cloth wrapped on a wooden stick or such as a Neem or Babul twig. The twig is slightly splayed or chewed at the end Surface Preparation: For the wall painting, they coat the wall with a paste of cow dung. Once dry, the surface is again coated with liquid cow dung or white clay. This surface is used for the final painting Now the artisans have started using acrylic colours and synthetic brushes.
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Process of Gond Painting
Process of Gond Painting
The process of Gond painting goes as follows: • • • •
The artist first selects a story (usually one from their rich folklore) A rough pencil outline is made for the narrative Colours are then filled inside the larger forms drawn on the canvas Small ‘signature patterns’, motifs evocative of tattoos or elements of nature are drawn or in filled. Every Gond artisan has his/her signature motifs which is used for detailing Gond houses are beautifully decorated with digna and bhittichitra during weddings and other festive occasions. The Gonds paint the inner and outer walls of their house with Digna which is the traditional geometric pattern, while bhittichitra is a composition of likenesses of animals, leaves and flowers. They recreate a fresh design on their walls every year during the festive season or during important occasions.
Digna Pattern done on Gond dwelling
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Motifs Subject matters Myths and folklores form the central theme, which the artists supplements with his/her own expression. Being worshippers of nature, they paint numerous gods and goddesses, strange exotic birds, flying snakes, tiger, deer, dogs and cattle, breathtakingly beautiful trees and other elements of their environment Some examples of the repeated stories are that of Lord Shiva and his encounter with the Mahua tree, Peacock and his ugly feet, Udata Hathi (Flying Elephant) etc.
Gond Tiger motif
Gond Deerr motif
Gond Birds motif
Gond Tree of Life motif
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Distinctive elements
One of the distinctive elements is the use of ‘signature patterns’ that is used to infill the larger forms on the canvas. These infill patterns are distinctive identifying marks used by the Gond artist. There are various explanations for their existence, and one of the most intriguing one traces it to tribal tattoo design. Artists are also inspired by symbols from day to day life, for example a motif that represents dry, cracked earth or the intricate and delicate patterns made by the cross section of cut lemon. Still others have followed their imagination for creating these patterns.
Examples of Signature Patterns
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Contemporary Adaptations
Gond painting done on the wall of a hotel room by CraftCanvas (Please note the use of digna pattern)
Gond texture mural for a corporate office done by CraftCanvas (Please note the use of digna pattern)
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Gond Ceramic Mural done by CraftCanvas for Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, IIM Ahmedabad
Hand painted Gond furniture by Baaya Designs
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Additional References
• http://indiantribalzone.blogspot.in/p/gond-art.html • http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/inside-isha/isha-yoga-center/gond-artpainting/ • http://www.lotusmasks.com/category/gond-tribal-paintings.html • http://www.indigoarts.com/gallery_asianart_indiptg4.html Image Source • http://4.bp.blogspot.com/obIIMLPJvuA/Ue5hIyZ8hII/AAAAAAAAHAM/y1riehATFHM/s1600/Gond +Jazz+-+Bureau+-+Price+on+request.jpg • http://architectureupdate.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/table.jpg • https://s-media-cacheak0.pinimg.com/236x/53/e0/bf/53e0bfa0479f3765d91c11f8c5ee5d87.jpg • https://s-media-cacheak0.pinimg.com/236x/ba/22/84/ba228409405fc7e065c39139d9c14a5f.jpg • http://baggout.tiles.large.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/Mandi-GondTribal-Wall-Art-On-Paper-Tree-Of-Life-Horizontal-IGPa014-ccebacae-dfff4d7b-b678-c8b99fba1ce7-jpg-a7c5dc08-eb2b-4696-94dd-65d7dfa6b867.jpg • http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0153/4745/products/IMG_3646_grande.jpg?v =1335741604 • http://indiantribalzone.blogspot.in/ • http://dicrc.in/resources#activity_632
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Designed by Surpritkaur Dang
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