About Untiled (GondTree), 2019
Venkat Shyam is a contemporary artist who works with murals, etchings, mixed media and animation. Born in Patangarh, in Madhya Pradesh, he trained to be an artist having apprenticed with his uncle, the famous Gond artist, Jagarh Singh Shyam.
Gond art was developed and practised by the Gond tribe of Madhya Pradesh. The themes largely focus on flora, fauna and Gods. Lines, dots and dashes are deployed in a way that convey a sense of movement, as evidenced by the brush strokes and lines in this painting.
The repeating patterns and bright colours are prominent features. The colours traditionally used are obtained through natural sources such as leaves, cow dung, coloured soil, plant sap and charcoal.
The work in the present lot is a quintessential example of Gond art. It is a vibrant, and attractive work, and encapsulates the essence of what Gond art is, be it the colours used, the subject or the repeating patterns.
