Prakash Jogi, Gopal Saha, Tekam and Anwar Chitrakar

These are talented albeit self-taught artists from the different tribal regions of India whose art invariably incorporates images drawn from life around them, myths, gods and goddesses, religious tales, and fantasies. Saffronart features three of them as part of its Folk and Tribal Art online Auction later this month.

Prakash Jogi

His art incorporates scenes from daily life, images of gods and goddesses, religious stories, and personal histories as well as wishful fantasies. Jogi's works are testimony to his innate aesthetic spirit. Pioneered by his artist parents Ganesh and Teju Jogi, he continues the family tradition along with his brother Govind.

Gopal Saha

Belonging to a village in the Madhubani district, this physically challenged artist is one of the most innovative ones practicing in the Mithila tradition. He is one of the few artists from this region who has painted his own biography, social satire, and scenes from daily life besides the regular Mithila subjects. His paintings of 'Englishman', for example, reflect on the western buyers who visit his village. Saha’s painting is characterized by his unique color combinations and flawless line.

Narmada Prasad Tekam

A Gond artist from Madhya Pradesh, he is entirely self-taught like most of his fellow tribal artists. He began painting at the age of ten, creating designs on the earth while tending cows in the fields and also on the walls of his home. His art reflects an innate understanding of the rhythm of nature and life. Tekam first came to Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal from his village in 1983, and since then his paintings have been featured in many exhibitions including a group show in Los Angeles in 2010.

Anwar Chitrakar

Kalighat painting style carries simple subjects, vivid colors, curved figures, swift execution, and satirical undertones. Blending newly absorbed Western techniques Indian subjects, these works with their characteristic bold, single-stroke outlines soon came to be identified as a distinct, urban school of painting. 

Anwar Chitrakar, who hails from Naya village, a small community of 'patuas' of West Bengal’s Midnapore district, strives to revive the lost glory and legacy of Kalighat 'patas' through his artworks that combine traditional techniques with an array of contemporary subjects and sensibilities including the Naxalite violence in his state. In 2006, he received the President's Award.