Description
Gond art
The Gond are the most important tribal group in India: they are settled in India in several states, especially in Madhya Pradesh. The word gond comes from Kond which means "mountain forest".
Most have kept their tradition (culinary arts, clothing, festivals) and their animist religion, but some have hinduized.
Gond statuary art is distinguished by its black patina and its own
style and iconography: face,features and proportions.
Dokra art
This traditional and artisanal art has not changed for millennia (more than 4000 years) and the technique used is always that of lost wax: a coarse clay model is made and then covered with wax by the artist who will give it its final form with its details. The whole is again covered with a clay mixture and then heated in an open hearth where a copper alloy will be poured. see Blog
Objects produced by Dokra artists can be of a usual nature: cup, candle holder ... musical instruments (brass), or artistic such as jewelry, animals: horses, elephants, turtles ..., statues of men and women representing scenes of daily life and Hindu deities adopted by the tribes: Ganesh, Lakshmi, ...
Posture Standing, feet firmly planted on the ground, this woman comes back from the river with her jar filled with water. The bust is straight, the knees are barely drawn, the right hand supports the jar while the left one holds a bowl in a gesture of offering.
The whole gives off a great sobriety, a great restraint characteristic of the Gonds: the details of the face, of the clothes are not very marked, even discreet.
Hairstyle Traditional bun on the back and feathered headdress. The forehead is decorated with a large band.
Jewelry Several very discreet necklaces follow one another in cascade on her neck. These are the earrings that adorn his ears in a magnificent arc and the nasal loops that catch the eye.