When stories of our erstwhile roots elude us, we rush to our grandparents to revive them. And in the telling, new stories are created and new images formed in our minds.
This is exactly what artist Heeraman Urveti drew on to revive the tradition of Gond painting in his community.
“My paintings depict fables that I have heard from my mother and grandmother. There are people, spirits, animals and even gods in them,” says Heeraman, who has been a master of his art for over ten years now.
Tracing traditions
Gond paintings speak volumes of the lifestyle, culture and traditions that the tribal people of Madhya Pradesh follow. Popularised by late Jangad Singh Shyam about three decades ago, the art is extensively practised among several tribal communities of the state.
The reason is quite apparent — it is a recreation of their lives on canvas. Artist Heeraman Urveti, who won the Jangad Shyam Award in 2009, shared a few insights on the intricacies of the art while at the ‘Aadi Chitra' exhibition being held at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
“Gond paintings allow the artists to experiment and display their individualistic styles. Just by looking at the paintings, one is able to tell which artist has painted them,” says Heeraman.
Each painting stands out for its simplicity. Unadorned by any ornate embellishments, the paintings find a lot of takers as themes stem out of everyday life.
Signature motif
Heeraman's signature motif is the deer. The deer itself is unique in that its antlers have been transformed into gnarled branches of a tree nestling several birds! “What I like about the deer is its awe-inspiring agility,” he exclaims. “Painting simple antlers somehow made them look bare, so I thought why not add leaves to them?”
Decoding colours
The important factors to keep in mind when learning the art, he says, are knowledge of colours (vegetable dyes or acrylic are used) and the right way of holding the brush. “It took me two years to learn the art,” he says.
Henmet paper and fabric canvas are used for the paintings. “It could take from five days to two weeks to paint a picture, depending on the size of the canvas, and the prices could range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 20,000 a piece.”
Epiphanies
Every one of his paintings has been inspired by a unique moment in his life. “I would like to tell my stories to people around the world. I could even write the story behind each of the paintings for the customer to read and enjoy. I hope also to get my stories translated into English some day,” he beams.
