In the intricate art of the Gond tribal community of Central India, decorative patterns fill the surface of images in amazing profusions. Originally executed on walls and floors, Gond art has since found its way onto paper and canvas. Artists work with inherited conventions, but inflect these in distinctive ways – one of the most striking instances is in the use of patterns. Each pattern is different from the others, and each is unique to a particular artist.
Signature is a unique collection of patterns by some of the best known Pardhan Gond artists from well-known ones like Bhajju Shyam and Durga Bai, to emerging teenage talents. Each artist talks about why he or she has chosen a particular pattern as their signature, an explanation that helps the reader connect everyday life and labour with imagination and artistic rendering.
