Important Notice

Born in the early 1960s in the village of Patangarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jangarh Singh Shyam emerged as one of the first indigenous Indian artists to receive mainstream acclaim. In the 1980s, his distinctive visual language caught the eye of modernist Jagdish Swaminathan, who became his mentor and invited him to develop his practice at Bharat Bhavan, a multi-arts complex in Bhopal. There Shyam was introduced to new media, such as paper, canvas,... Born in the early 1960s in the village of Patangarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jangarh Singh Shyam emerged as one of the first indigenous Indian artists to receive mainstream acclaim. In the 1980s, his distinctive visual language caught the eye of modernist Jagdish Swaminathan, who became his mentor and invited him to develop his practice at Bharat Bhavan, a multi-arts complex in Bhopal. There Shyam was introduced to new media, such as paper, canvas, poster colours, and acrylics, which enabled him to develop a contemporary painting style within the Pardhan community, traditionally known for its oral storytelling and musical heritage. This distinctive style would later be recognised as Jangarh Kalam.

Shyam was a devout animist whose visual practice drew from his tribal heritage, bringing to life the flora and fauna of the regions surrounding his home and the tribal deities of the Gond pantheon. Lot 84 displays the distinct style of patterning that the artist is best known for, particularly the wave-like motif, “a pie-sliced shape, comprising approximately one third of a concentric circle.” (Aurogeeta Das, “Samvega, Aesthetic Shock: Jangarh’s Artistic Evolution”, Jangarh Singh Shyam: The Enchanted Forest, New Delhi: Roli Books, 2017, p. 67). In many decorative arts of China, Japan and places in India, these motifs are repeated at the same angle to create visually striking patterns, but Shyam intervened with his own choreographed angles, allowing these patterns to express themselves in new, dynamic ways. In this ink work, the wavy lines bring to life the elongated body of an animal curiously looking around. There is also a skilled restraint as he compositionally curates negative space around the densely patterned subject. The result is a work marked by precision, clarity of vision, and a visual language entirely his own.

Shyam also introduced texture and movement into his ink works through a masterful control over the lines and dots that mark the surface. By altering the width, depth, thickness, angularity, opacity or pressure, he meticulously orchestrates patterns and lines that animate the world he imagined onto the paper. In lot 85, the thick fur of two predators is rendered through dense short lines interspersed with darkly outlined, crescent-like forms. In contrast, the sparse coat of their cowering prey is conveyed through subtle shifts in pressure and opacity, with fine, delicate lines suggesting the fragility of each strand of hair.

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