Rescue

Artist: Durga Bai

Size - 32"h x 18"w

Acrylic on Canvas

About the Art

One of the largest tribal communities in South Asia, the Gonds, are mainly found in Madhya Pradesh and its surrounding States. Gond paintings which is mostly “two-dimensional” in style cover numerous themes such as  folk stories, religion, nature etc. Their art  may be bursting with flamboyant hues or more controlled, in the simple sophistication use of black and white.  It is interesting to observe that Gond paintings bear a remarkable likeness to Australian aboriginal art as both forms use dots or lines as fillers. Here the artist has shown the village stepping in to save lives in the event of a flying mishap. She has shown herself on top of the plane guiding the rescue mission. Contemporary images are now a part of the visual language of this folk artist.

About the Artist

Durga Bai is a talented Gond artist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She draws inspiration mostly from the pantheon of the Gond Pardhan deities and oral tradition of narrative passed on from one generation to another.With the encouragement of her brother -in- law Jangarh Singh Shyam, she started painting on paper and canvas. Since 2003 Durga Bai has been illustrating books for many publishers, of which Sultanʼs Dream and the award-winning One, Two, Tree!, has been translated into Dutch, French, German and Japanese. Increasingly she has been integrating day to day visuals and characters into her paintings — airplanes in a cloudless sky flying above forests resplendent with animals and birds over the flaming Mahua trees. Her works have been showcased internationally and nationally in various galleries and museums.