Anrad Gallery is a platform to showcase the finest folk and tribal art, typical of the many indigenous tribes and communities of India. Several artists that we work with are recognised experts of their craft, having learnt, and improved upon, the skills and traditions that have been practiced in their families for generations. These traditions are reflected not only in the subject matter, but also in the methods used in the practice of their craft - be it the preparation of material on which they paint, the instruments they use to create their art or the pigments they make by hand from flowers, stones and tree gum found in their villages.
Each work of art that we source reflects the unique style and culture prevalent in the artists’ region.
The subjects that the artist’s usually portray through painting, across the many tribes and communities, are usually one, or more, of the following:
- the glory of nature;
- scenes from daily life;
- spectacular images from the Hindu pantheon; and
- pictorial stories from the epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Each hand-painted piece is unique and entirely original. Almost all use some natural pigments and dyes such as soot (black) from burning ghee and camphor. They are usually sourced locally and are often from the naturally occurring materials of the artists’ region. The canvases they paint on could be cotton, or silk, fabric, hand-made paper, or even palm leaves! Hence the artists’ practice of their craft is extremely sustainable, sometimes even on fabric that has been up-cycled and treated to make a canvas … whilst still maintaining the beauty and originality of art painted many generations ago by their forefathers.
At Anrad, we try to scout the artists, and artworks, that are the most authentic and true to the original tradition of each style of art. However, India has lost some original artistic traditions, such as seen with Gond art, to new modern interpretations. They are still unique and beautiful, but we hope, over time, we will also be able to bring some of those original designs that have been practiced in time bygone, back for us to appreciate.
Through this venture, we hope to contribute meaningfully to promoting, and sustaining, heritage arts for future generations of craftsmen to continue practicing their arts, like their forefathers.
Do scroll on and enjoy their work ... we hope this will be the beginning of a voyage of discovery through the realms of ancient Indian artistic thought. We aim to travel through the mists of time with these paintings, to use the art on our walls to reconnect with nature, scripture and ... life.
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