Reading Works of ArtClass 9 English Chapter 3 Notes – Maharashtra Board

Summary: Reading Works of Art

The lesson has two passages. Each is a short introduction to, or review of, a kind of art: the paintings of Sayed Haider Raza, and the folk art of the Gond tribe.

Raza was a famous Indian painter. His paintings are abstract — they use simple geometric shapes, bold colour combinations (especially blue and orange) and balanced arrangements instead of real-looking people or places. They come from his inner mind, not from the world outside.

Raza was born in a village in Madhya Pradesh, studied art in Nagpur and Mumbai, and later went to France, where he settled. He received all three Padma awards. In his later work the 'bindu' (point) became the centre of his paintings. He died in 2016, aged 94.

Gond art is the tribal art of the Gond people of central India. It began as pictures on the mud walls of homes. Artists made their own colours from soil, plant juice, leaves, bark, flowers, coal and cow-dung, and filled outlines with patterns of dots, lines and curves.

The writer feels folk art probably began in women's daily work — cleaning and decorating the home and handling natural colours while cooking. Both passages show that a painting can speak to us when words cannot.

Key points to remember

• Writer: Abha Bhagwat (name printed in the book)
• S. H. Raza: famous Indian painter of the abstract style
• Features of Raza's work: striking colour combinations, simple geometric shapes, captivating compositions, and blues and oranges
• Abstract art does not copy real people or scenes; it comes from the artist's inner mind
• Raza studied at Nagpur's Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya and the J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, then in France
• He won the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan; the 'bindu' became the core of his paintings
• Gond art: tribal folk art of the Gond people of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha
• The Gondi language is close to Telugu, which is a Dravidian language
• Gond colours came from natural things — soil, plant juice, leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, coal, cow-dung
• Gond designs fill outlines with dots, straight and dotted lines, curves and circles
• A review of a painting covers its creator, theme, type, style, techniques, effect on viewers and message

Reading Works of Art – Notes

1. Passage 1: Sayed Haider Raza

• Raza is known for his abstract paintings. Instead of drawing lifelike figures, he arranged circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, lines and dots.
• He balanced some parts of a painting and deliberately left other parts unbalanced, and used bright colour combinations — blue and orange appear in almost all his work.
• His ideas came from Indian art, its heritage, culture and philosophy. His paintings seem to give out peace and life together.
• He began painting at twelve, studied in Nagpur and Mumbai, then went to France, married a French woman and settled there.
• Later his work took a spiritual path, and the 'bindu' (point) became its centre. He said his work was his inner experience of nature's mysteries, shown through colour, line, space and light.
• For an artist like Raza, painting is a better way to communicate than words. He died on 23 July 2016 at 94.

2. Passage 2: Gond art

• Gond art is the tribal art of the Gond people, who, according to their tales and myths, have been living in India for thousands and thousands of years.
• It is found mainly in central India. At first people painted on the earthen walls of their homes to make them pleasant and to record what they saw.
• Folk artists prepare their own 'canvas' (surface) and their own colours, which makes the art a rich experience.
• Colours were made from soils of many shades, plant juice, leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, coal and cow-dung.
• Outlines differ slightly between artists, but the patterns inside — dots, lines, dotted lines, curves and circles — make the picture lively. Colours are chosen with care.
• Today many men practise Gond art commercially, but the writer believes its roots lie in women's household work and leisure.

3. How to read (review) a work of art

• The creator — who made it (Raza; the Gond people).
• The theme or subject — what it is about (inner thoughts; nature and daily life).
• Type of art — abstract painting; tribal folk art.
• Individual style and techniques — geometric shapes and bold colours; patterned fillings and natural colours.
• Effect on viewers and the message — peace and life; simplicity and beauty.

4. Grammar: three kinds of clauses

• Adjective clause — describes a noun. Example from the passage: '…paintings … that depict extraordinary compositions' (linking word: that).
• Adverb clause — tells when, why, how about the main verb. Example: '…when the artist tries to peep…' (linking word: when).
• Noun clause — does the work of a noun, often the object. Example: 'We realise that the painting is…' (linking word: that).
• Tip: an adjective clause comes just after the noun it describes; a noun clause answers 'what?' after verbs like realise, know, think.

5. Colour idioms (Warming up)

• give someone a black look; out of the blue; the black sheep of the family; once in a blue moon; vanish into the blue.
• a black list; blue blood; a green belt; the blue-eyed boy; to have green fingers.
• catch someone red-handed; be green with envy; roll out the red carpet; give or get the green signal.
• a red herring; a bolt from the blue; see red (become angry).

Words and phrases to know

Key terms

Reading Works of Art – Flashcards

Read the question, answer it in your head, then tap the card to check. 20 cards.

Reading Works of Art – MCQ Quiz

15 questions. Tap an option — you will see at once if it is right and why.

How to study Reading Works of Art

⏱ About 30 minutes

1. Read (10 min)
   Read both passages and note the facts about Raza and the features of Gond art.
2. Learn (10 min)
   Learn the colour idioms, the points of an art review and the three kinds of clauses.
3. Practise (10 min)
   Answer the 'Try it yourself' questions, take the quiz and play 🎮 Play.