The Art of Jangarh Singh Shyam

Gond art is among the most popular and well-known indigenous art traditions of India. Taking its name after the tribe which practices it, Gond art is mainly centred in Madhya Pradesh. Within this form, there is a wide spectrum of artistic styles, primarily connected to certain painters and their practices. The tribe’s strong tradition of oral narrative—often focussing on their gods who corresponded to elements of nature—transposes to their paintings as well.

These indigenous art forms have now evolved in their social and cultural roles. Efforts by art historians and the government have helped push them to prominence and artists themselves have painstakingly modified a centuries-old ethos to contemporary demand. At the forefront of giving the folk and tribal arts the recognition they deserved, was Jangarh Singh Shyam, famed for his Gond paintings and for popularising the art form abroad.

Jangarh Singh Shyam at his studio in Bharat Bhavan | Wikimedia Commons

Shyam is synonymous with this art form, so much so, that Udayan Vajpeyi, in his essay, “From Music to Painting” proposes that the art be called Jangarh kalam, or Jangarh style. (Sathyapal ed., Native Art of India, Thrissur: Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, 2011, p. 33) Hailing from the Gond tribe in Madhya Pradesh, Jangarh Singh Shyam lived in the jungles of Mandla until a chance encounter with the modern artist Jagdish Swaminathan in the 1980s. Swaminathan, who was leading an Indian collective on a study tour with the aim of creating a collection of tribal art in Bhopal, came across Shyam’s house, whose walls were adorned with his art. Upon enquiring, they met Shyam—only a teenager at the time, but with a striking style of painting.

Jagdish Swaminathan with Jangarh Singh Shyam and his wife at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, 1987 | © Jyoti Bhatt

Swaminathan took Shyam on as his protege, bringing him to the Roopankar Museum in Bhopal, where he learned to transfer his art from walls to paper. He created a series of works on paper and canvas which are displayed at Bharat Bhavan today. “His first large works on paper from the start of the 1980s contain highly expressive forms of great simplicity redolent of primitivism.” (Herve Perdriolle, Indian Art: Contemporary, One Word, Several Worlds, Milan: 5 Continents Editions, p. 61)

Shiv – Many-headed or Shesh Nag snake, trident and lingayoni (Gond Art), 1989, Gouache on paper, 19.5 x 25.5 in, Estimate: Rs 6 – 8 lakhs ($8,220 – 10,960)

In typical Gond tradition, Shyam’s art is based on the deities and divinities of the Gond tribe, and the animist culture of worship surrounding them. Suspended in space, he renders them like silhouettes creating the effect of shadow puppets, with bright colours, dots and hatched lines. The inspiration for using fine dots comes from the tribe itself, where shamans go into a trance and imagine that the particles of their bodies disperse into space to join with those of spirits to form other beings. The intricacy and control in his dot-based designs is seen in the works of all Gond artists, as are his most common subjects – the tree of life and various animals.

Sher (Gond Art), 1990, Ink on paper, 14 x 11 in and Gughawa Pakshee (Gond Art), 1993, Ink on paper, 21.5 x 14.5 in, Estimates: Rs 3 – 4 lakhs ($4,110 – 5,480) and Rs 5 – 6 lakhs ($6,850 – 8,220)

In 2010, the Muse du quai Branly in Paris held an exhibition called Other Masters of India, which carried large works on paper by Shyam from the late 1980s and early 1990s, which according to Perdriolle, “reveal a development in the direction of a profusion of psychedelic colors and more elaborated forms. The second half of the 1990s was marked by an unusual refinement, pictorial maturity, and graphic mastery that resulted in some of his best works.” (Perdriolle, p. 61)

Birds (Gond Art), 1996, Ink on paper, 11 x 13.75 in, Estimate: Rs 4 – 5 lakhs ($5,480 – 6,850)

Shyam worked with several mediums throughout his career, including drawing and silkscreen painting, rediscovering a new style and representation every time. As he achieved fame, Shyam encouraged other artists in his community to paint, giving them access into the mainstream. His house was the studio, where he provided his students with paper, canvas and paint, encouraging them to find their own expression through new mediums.

Shyam passed away in Japan in 2001. He was in his early forties. The artist’s memory is preserved in his body of work, including the large murals he created for the Parliament building in Bhopal, and continued by the members of his family trained by him, including his wife Nankusia, daughter Japani, and son Mayank. In a short-lived but exceptional career, he left behind a powerful and dynamic legacy which reached for the new while preserving the roots of the Gond artistic tradition.


Saffronart’s Winter Online Auction features four works by the artist, and will be on auction on 9 – 10 December 2020 on saffronart.com.

International Indigenous

Kanika Pruthi of Saffronart talks about the ongoing international exhibition on indigenous art SAKAHAN at the National Gallery of Canada.

Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art- Exhibition Catalogue Photo Credit: http://www.gallery.ca/en/shop/index.php

Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art- Exhibition Catalogue
Photo Credit: http://www.gallery.ca/en/shop/index.php

New York: This summer the National Gallery of Canada launched one of its most ambitious exhibitions titled Sakahàn: International Indigenous.

Literally meaning “to light [a fire]” in the language of the Algonquin people- Native Canadian inhabitants of North America, the show features over 150 works of contemporary indigenous art by over 80 artists from 40 countries across the globe, ranging in medium from video installations to sculptures, drawings, prints, paintings, performance art, murals and site-specific projects created specifically for this exhibition, the largest in the history of the institution.

The project is co-curated by Greg Hill, the NGC’s Audain Curator of Indigenous Art; Christine Lalonde, Associate Curator of Indigenous Art; and Candice Hopkins, the Elizabeth Simonfay Guest Curator, with the support of an international team of curatorial advisors which includes the Delhi based artist Arpana Caur.

The exhibition not only transforms the space of the National Gallery but also extends to other parts of the city. A collaborative work by Shuvinai Ashoona and John Noestheden titled Earth and Sky is a 50-metre-long banner that looms over the colonnade ramp depicting a summer landscape alongside a skyscape of celestial bodies. While another commanding installation transforms the façade of the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada into a work of art.

Shuvinai Ashoona and John Noestheden, Earth and Sky (2013), banner, digital print on polyester, 298 x 5184 cm. Site-specific installation, NGC. © Dorset Fine Arts and John Noestheden Photo Credit: http://museumpublicity.com/2013/05/20/national-gallery-of-canada-opens-sakahan-international-indigenous-art/

Shuvinai Ashoona and John Noestheden, Earth and Sky (2013), banner, digital print on polyester, 298 x 5184 cm. Site-specific installation, NGC. © Dorset Fine Arts and John Noestheden
Photo Credit: http://museumpublicity.com/2013/05/20/national-gallery-of-canada-opens-sakahan-international-indigenous-art/

Behind the visual depth, variety and sheer monumentality of included works there lays significant discourses that cover the gamut of post colonial, identity, tradition and contemporary just to name a few. This iconic effort challenges, and to a large extent shatters, the long held narrow notions associated with the indigenous in various cultures.

The most prominent aspect of the exhibition is the contemporary nature of the works and artistic practice, negating the long held stubborn association of the indigenous with the traditional. The works demonstrate their simultaneous associations with the past, present and future. Vernon Ah Kee, known for his incisive critiques of White Australian culture, takes on the iconic subject of the beach and casts a critical eye on its special role in forming Australian identity. He includes surfboards painted with north Queensland rainforest shield designs as well as a video installation, a clearly contemporary trope for a relevant discourse linked to the past.

Vernon Ah Kee, Cantchant, 2009, 12 surfboards, 8 paintings, single-channel video PhotoCredit: http://winsorgallery.blogspot.com/2013/05/sakahan-at-national-gallery-of-canada.html

Vernon Ah Kee, Cantchant, 2009, 12 surfboards, 8 paintings, single-channel video
PhotoCredit: http://winsorgallery.blogspot.com/2013/05/sakahan-at-national-gallery-of-canada.html

Identity and the idea of self representation is another integral aspect of the exhibit. The indigenous has often been assessed by the other eye and it is this understanding that is projected in the world at large. By reclaiming this space- its projection and reception, the ‘indigenous’ seem to be writing a new history and recasting their identity in the contemporary world. Toru Kaizawa’s work addresses this process of establishing an identity in the post colonial world. An Ainu artist from the Japan, he explores these issues in his work. The sculpture depicts a jacket front with its zipper pulled halfway down. Behind the zippered portion appears designs from traditional Ainu clothing.

Toru Kaizawa's Identity 1, 2011 depicts an unzipped jacket revealing traditional Ainu clothing beneath. (Katsura tree Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture, Sapporo) PhotoCredit: http://winsorgallery.blogspot.com/2013/05/sakahan-at-national-gallery-of-canada.html

Toru Kaizawa’s Identity 1, 2011 depicts an unzipped jacket revealing traditional Ainu clothing beneath. (Katsura tree Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture, Sapporo)
PhotoCredit: http://winsorgallery.blogspot.com/2013/05/sakahan-at-national-gallery-of-canada.html

In this milieu of self assertion and re definition of the indigenous, Indian artist Venkat Raman Singh Shyam’s work seamlessly fits the narrative of the exhibition.

Venkat Raman Singh Shyam, Smoking Taj (2009), pen and acrylic on canvas, 99 x 69 cm. Must Art Gallery, New Delhi, Photo © Must Art Gallery, New Delhi, India Image Credit: http://www.ngcmagazine.ca/features/sakahan-photo-gallery/Venkat-Raman-Singh-Shyam-Smoking-Taj

Venkat Raman Singh Shyam, Smoking Taj (2009), pen and acrylic on canvas, 99 x 69 cm. Must Art Gallery, New Delhi, Photo © Must Art Gallery, New Delhi, India
Image Credit: http://www.ngcmagazine.ca/features/sakahan-photo-gallery/Venkat-Raman-Singh-Shyam-Smoking-Taj

A gond artist from Bhopal, India he continues the family tradition of telling stories through art. His work Smoking Taj recalls the 2008 terrorist attack at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. His works depict not only traditional subjects but also current events in his immediate environment.

In the words of Greg Hill, head of the gallery’s indigenous art department since 2007,”…Indigenous artists don’t work in a vacuum restricted to their own cultures. They’re part of the modern world, too…And to insist that the most authentic indigenous art is (or has to be) traditional art “rooted in customary practice” is itself a kind of ghettoization.”

The exhibition is scheduled till September 2013. To read more about it click here and visit the museum’s website

Folk and Tribal Art: Gond Painting

Josheen Oberoi of Saffronart looks (very briefly) at what constitutes Gond Art

New York: Folk and tribal arts are relatively less exposed forms of narrative Indian art and contain within them a gamut of styles originating from various geographical regions in India; Gond art is one such art form.

Jangarh Singh Shyam
Untitled, 1984
Acrylic on canvas, 55.5 x 32.5 inches
Image courtesy: Saffronart

The term Gond art refers to paintings that emerge from a heterogeneous tribal group called the Gond or Koiture, mostly centered in Madhya Pradesh. Even within the phrase Gond art there is a wide spectrum of artistic styles, primarily connected to distinct painters and their practices. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts’s (IGNCA) research discusses the cultural roots of the Gonds and also indicates the unifying theme in Gond art – the pervasive presence of nature. Their pantheon of gods are intimately connected to nature and their strong tradition of oral narrative seemingly transfers to their paintings as well.

The first Gond artist to gain national recognition was Jangarh Singh Shyam (who died in 2001), and in fact, the present genre of Gond painting is called Janagarh Kalam after his pioneering style. He was discovered in the 1980s by the late Jagdish Swaminathan, then Director of Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal. Jangarh Singh Shyam was the first artist to paint on paper and canvas instead of directly on earth or walls of the home. The intricacy and control in his dot-based designs is seen in the works of all Gond artists, as are his most common subjects – the tree of life and various animals.

Ram Singh Urveti
Untitled, 2011
55.5 x 45 inches
Image courtesy: Saffronart

The tree of life is also a favourite subject of Ram Singh Urveti and Suresh Kumar Dhruve. Ram Singh Urveti uses a deep colour palette and combines his imagery of trees with a variety of animals, creating a synergy of plants and animals in his work, while Suresh Kumar Dhruve often presents trees almost like a totem pole, erect and still, surrounded by human figures.

Jangarh Singh Shyam’s wife Nankusia Shyam and daughter Japani Shyam are also renowned Gond artists. Their paintings are inhabited by the world of animals, although their individual aesthetics are distinct. Nankusia Shyam often paints animals from her childhood memories or shares her impression of urban culture in the shape of these animals. Japani Shyam, on the other hand, almost seems to capture the eco systems in which animals survive; her works are denser, they are reproductions of the worlds that animals and plants survive in.

Japani Shyam
Untitled, 2011
Acrylic and ink on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
Image courtesy: Saffronart

In Narmada Prasad Tekam’s painting, plants and animals share equal footing; they are not shown as a continuum, as in Jangarh Singh Shyam or Ram Singh Urveti’s work. These detailed works contain everyday creatures, recognizable in their presence.

Narmada Prasad Tekam
Untitled
Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 45 inches
Image courtesy: Saffronart

Durga Bai’s works, which have been widely exhibited in India and abroad, show a dynamism and movement within the picture that is unique to her. Brightly hued, hers are narratives of folk tales and deities, of goddesses remembered.

Durga Bai
Untitled
Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 123 inches
Image courtesy: Saffronart

Dhavat Singh
Tiger Tales 1, 2009
Acrylic and ink on canvas, 67.5 x 47.5 inches
Image courtesy: Saffronart

Dhavat Singh’s Tiger Tales are vivid representations of tigers, their interactions with their surroundings and the folklore that surrounds these majestic animals. Equal parts contemporary and traditional; these are visceral works, extending the parameters of Gond art, as it stands today.

The story telling, the fantastical animals and trees is a thread that runs through the work of Gond artists, rooted in their folk tales and culture. However, each of these artists, as evident in these images, has developed a specific language within these narratives creating a richness of aesthetic forms and styles.

These artists represent only a fraction of practitioners of Gond art. A more extensive list and information is at the IGNCA website.

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