Taking inspiration from the tribal arts of India

The workshop of tribal art takes the students to a new world of imagination

Your imagination takes wings when you identify yourself with nature. The workshops organized for the students of The Velammal International School (TVIS), as part of their visit to National Institute of Design (NID) Madhya Pradesh, at Bhopal, on the occasion of the three-day Madhya Pradesh Design Utsav (MPDU) – Fusion Con – from December 18 to 20, proved to be really a unique experience, because it brought them closer to a new world of imagination that is rooted in the beauty of nature and the idea of coexistence.

The workshop on Gond art, organized as part of the festival, was one such programme, which unleashed their imaginative talent and skill.

While they got the chance to personally experience the way in which the traditional artists worked, the brief workshop with the participation of the traditional artists also helped them try their skill in making their own works of art based on the traditional style of Gond artists.

Instead of asking the students to create something on their own, based on their imagination, the focus was to use the Gond style in their creations, and the students were asked to draw something based on the original works of art given to them as reference. However, the students were free to use their imagination and even their own colour combination, said Shurti Jain, an artist who professionally studied tribal art and designs on wood, who led the workshop. “The students were highly enthusiastic, and some of them produced really good works. Our focus was on the techniques of Gond art, such as the lines and use of contrasting colours.” 

The outcome was extremely good, and this would help them hone their skills, said the students from TVIS who participated in the workshop.

“When I came here, I had no idea as to how it would benefit, because I am not very much artistically inclined though I like drawing,” said Manish Raam, a class 9 student who enthusiastically participated in the workshops. “These workshops, including the one on Gond art, gave me the confidence and I am sure I would be able to use the knowledge and methods I learned here, and it would benefit me in the long run in whatever career I opt for.”

They also got the opportunity to see and experience how the traditional artists work, and what is the beauty of their creations.

“Traditionally, we used to decorate the walls, using natural colours extracted from stones, leaves and other such materials,” said Virendrakumar Dhurve, a traditional Gond artist, who now explores the possibility of acrylic colours on canvas and paper. He said now they have changed the approach to cater to the taste of the buyers, while retaining the traditional imagery. Birds, animals, flora and fauna that merge into one is the basic characteristic of Gond art, which created some of the globally acclaimed artists like Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962-2001), who placed Gond art on a global pedestal, and even pioneered new school of Indian art, which came to be known as Jangarh Kalam.

Yet another style, Bhil Art also uses the elements from nature to create unique compositions that take the viewers to the magically serene beauty of birds, animals and fish. “Our uniqueness is the use of coloured dots to decorate the figures like deer, fish, birds, water and trees, apart from other living things,” said Ramesh Katara, a traditional Bhil artist. For the tribal artists who acquired this talent from their predecessors, art is a family occupation, and their children also start learning it at a young age.  

The beauty of Gond and Bhil paintings is the precision with which they work at the same time breaking our notions about perspective. The students said the firsthand experience brings them closer to the world of Indian native art and inspired them to study it.