State PCS
Anand Singh Shyam and Dhanaiya Bai are renowned artists associated with which painting style?
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Answer: Option A — Gond painting
Detailed Solution
Anand Singh Shyam and Dhanaiya Bai (Dhaniya Bai) are artists of the Gond painting tradition of Madhya Pradesh. Both belong to the Pardhan Gond community and are relatives (by family and village tradition) of the legendary Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam.
Gond painting is a tribal art of the Gond people, who live mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana. Traditionally, the Gonds decorated the walls and floors of their houses with patterns and images during festivals and ceremonies. The Pardhan Gonds, who were traditionally bards (singers of the Gond myths and genealogies), turned this into a modern art form on paper and canvas.
Features of Gond painting:
- Bright colours, originally from natural sources such as charcoal, coloured soil, plant sap, leaves and cow dung, and now often acrylic paints.
- The images are filled with dots, dashes, fine lines and patterns, which give the figures a sense of movement.
- Common themes are animals, birds, trees (especially the sacred mahua tree), gods, myths and folk tales, and the relationship between humans and nature.
Jangarh Singh Shyam (1960-2001) of Patangarh village in Dindori district was discovered by the artist J. Swaminathan in the 1980s and brought to Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. His work made Gond art famous worldwide, and the style he created is called "Jangarh Kalam". Other famous Gond artists include Bhajju Shyam, Durga Bai Vyam (Padma Shri 2022), Venkat Raman Singh Shyam and Japani Shyam. Gond painting of Madhya Pradesh received a GI tag in 2023.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Warli painting is from Maharashtra, with white stick figures.
- ✗Madhubani painting is from Bihar.
- ✗Kalighat painting is from Kolkata, West Bengal.
Quick tip
Remember: Gond painting = Madhya Pradesh (Patangarh, Dindori), dots and dashes; Jangarh Singh Shyam ("Jangarh Kalam"), Bhajju Shyam, Durga Bai Vyam; GI 2023.
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Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's traditional painting styles (such as Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Gond and Tanjore), handicrafts and textiles, traditional dresses, and the major tribes of each state and their customs. It also includes Geographical Indication (GI) tags given to crafts and products. Questions usually ask which state a painting or craft belongs to, which tribe lives in a region, or what a traditional dress is called. Warli belongs to Maharashtra, Madhubani to Bihar, Pattachitra to Odisha and West Bengal, and Gond art to Madhya Pradesh. Grouping tribes by state, and noting the largest tribe of key states (such as the Bhils and the Santhals), helps with elimination. Practise the paintings, crafts and tribes questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.