The Jangarh Kalam: A Pioneer's story

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Jangarh Singh Shyam belonged to tribal Gond community hailing from a small village of Patangarh in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. Born in 1962 Shyam did not receive much formal education and was a self taught artist.His paintings reflect a strong vision of tribal practices that have been passed on from generations. Heavily influenced by his surroundings, his works often depict natural elements like birds, trees, animals and local deities like Bagh Dev, Marahi Dev etc. 

Jangarh Singh Shyam in his studio.Courtesy: Wikipedia Creative Commons

His early works involved decorating homes and ceremonial spaces with traditional murals, however his talent got recognized at an early age of 16 when renowned artist Jagdish Swaminathan, the then director of Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal visited Mandla with an intent of building a collection of tribal art in Bhopal. During his visit Swaminathan stumbled upon the beautifully decorated walls of houses and discovered his talent and brought him to work at the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal. 

Jangarh Singh Shyam (Centre) with his wife Nankusia Bai (Left) and mentor J. Swaminathan (Right) at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, in 1987, Courtesy: Artisera

After moving to Bhopal, Shyam developed his own style, a striking mix of tribal and modern contemporary art. His style reflects a sense of innocence brilliantly executed with confidence of a creative genius. His smooth transition from traditional wall paintings to sophisticated canvas ultimately led to the birth of ‘Jangarh Kalam’ style which revolutionized the Gond art and brought it into the realm of contemporary art. His technique primarily involved intricate cross-hatched comb like patterns with a sense of fluidity and movement. The neat lines, dots and shapes created a rhythmic pattern that brought his forms to life. The artist experimented with diverse of mediums varying from the yellow clay of his village to the modern mediums like acrylic and oils. His curiosity to each medium makes him the first Gond artist to transition from traditional materials like charcoal, clay, coloured soil, and plant sap to acrylic, oils and even rOtering pen that he discovered during his trip to abroad. The German made rOtering pen eventually became quite popular among artists to create precise and intricate designs. 


Jangarh Singh Shyam received numerous awards and recognitions like ‘Shikhar Samman’ the highest civilian award from the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1985. In 1990, he painted the main dome of Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal that depicted the Gond Deity, Baradeo along with the interiors of Vidhan Sabha, Madhya Pradesh. Jangarh was invited to Paris for a show at the famous Pompidou Centre. He also travelled to the US, UK and many other countries to exhibit his works. 

Artwork by Jangarh Singh Shyam, Courtesy: The Indian Express

Jangarh Singh was one of the five tribal artists selected to be part of an arts program called the 'Other Masters' at the Crafts Museum, New Delhi. Like many folk artists from India, Shyam was also invited to work at the Mithila Museum, Japan, which resulted in a body of work which is now in the collection of the museum.

The artist married at an early age of 16 to Nansukh Bai also became a distinguished artist later on. The couple had two children – Japani Shyam and Mayank Shyam, both of whom carried forward his father’s artistic legacy.

The artist’s career lasted for about two decades with his untimely death during a residency programme in Japan in 2001, where he committed suicide. However in a brief span of his career he created a new genre of Indian art and represented the adivasi community on a global stage inspiring many artists to explore and share their perspective with the world.


References:

sarmaya.in/tag/jangarh-singh-shyam

mapacademy.io/article/jangarh-singh-shyam

www.astaguru.com/blogs/artist-jangarh-singh-shyam

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