THE

GOND
ART
By

Sonal Gupta & Rishabh Upadhyay

 ABOUT GOND ART

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. 
 Origins of Gond art
Before mass-produced Modern Gond paintings are
paints were available, not painted on walls and floors
the tribe’s artwork was and are instead painted on
rarely, if ever, canvas. This makes sure that it
is not only much easier to
It was founded and practised  committed to paper. transport, carry and hang on a
in Madhya pradesh around But one day in 1981, wall, but the use of canvas
1400 years back . everything changed.. helps the paintings

Before
1400 years back 1800s 1981 2022
1900s

Can be traced in parts of Janagarh Singh Shyam

Madhya Pradesh, Andhra brought this art out to the
Pradesh, Maharashtra and world after painting the walls
Chattisgarh in bharat bhavan
Painting techniques
• One of the most captivating features of this art is its simplicity, both, in terms of
the tools required to make the painting, as well as, the painting itself

• Gond artists have developed their own devices to work with various contemporary
mediums and materials. They would first make dots and calculate the volume of
the images.
• These dots would be connected to bring about an outer shape, which would then
be filled with colors.
• As they respond to the immediate social situation and environment, each object
they come across in life is aesthetically The artists draw the inner as well as
outer lines with as much care as possible so that the perfection of the lines has an
immediate effect on the viewer
•  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 sense of faster movement and increase the
amount of detail
Colors and medium
Bright colors such as red, yellow, blue, green, etc., are commonly used in Gond art. Natural colors are
obtained from charcoal, colored soils, plants, leaves, cow dung, etc.

Some colors and their natural sources are mentioned below.

• Black: Black color is made from charcoal.

• Yellow: Yellow color is made from ramraj soil.
• White: White color is made from chui soil.
• Red: The red color is obtained from geru soil.
• Green: Light green color is made from cow dung and dark green color is made from bean leaves.

Gond artists are now using synthetic colors such as acrylic colors, poster colors and oil paints as they are
readily available in the market.

Tools
Paintbrushes of various sizes are now used to make Gond paintings.
 How to decode Gond art ?
 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.
 The images are tattoos or minimalist human and animal forms that include, chameleons,
butterflies, elephants, cows, lions, fish, peacocks and other birds.
 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
 ond traditions and fables are a reflection of man’s close connection with his natural surroundings.
The Gond painting transports you to the seamless world of the imaginative and the surprising.