WARLI ART

The Warli or Varli are an indigenous tribe( Adivasi ) of Western India; living in mountainous as well as coastal areas along the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. Maharashtra is known for its Warli art. It is also famous for their painting styles and this art is a form of tribal art mostly created by tribal people from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra. It is the vivid expression of daily and social events of the Warli tribe of Maharashtra used by them to embellish the walls of villages houses. The traditions Warli painting in Maharashtra are among the finest examples of the folk style of paintings. The style of Warli painting was not recognized until the 1970s, even though the tribal style of art is thought to date back as early as 10^th century AD.

Jiva Soma Mashe, the artist in Thane district has played a great role in making Warli paintings more popular. In 1970s the Warli painting, which was a predominantly ritual art till that time, took a radical turn, when Jiva Mashe started to paint not for any special ritual but on an everyday basis. Since the 1970s Warli painting has moved onto paper and canvas. Warli paintings on paper have become very popular and are now sold all over India. Today , small paintings are done on cloth and paper but they look best on the walls or in the form of huge murals that brings out the vast and magical world of the Warlis.

Women are mainly engaged in the creation of these paintings. Images of human beings and animals, along with scenes from daily life are created in a loose rhythmic pattern. Painted white on mud walls, they are pretty close to pre-historic cave paintings in execution and usually depicts scenes of human figures engaged in activities like dancing, sowing, performing puja, hunting, harvesting etc. In Warli art it is rare to see a straight line. A series of dots and dashes make one lines.  Later, many artist started to draw straight lines in their paintings.

Warli festival

Geometric shapes in Warli Art

These rudimentary wall paintings use a set of basic geometric shapes: a circle, a triangle, and a square. These shapes are symbolic of different elements of nature.

The circle and the triangle come from their observation of nature. The circle represents the sun and the moon, while the triangle is derived from mountains and pointed trees. In contrast, the square appears to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a piece of land.

The central motif in each ritual painting is the square, known as the “chalk” or “Shaukat”, mostly of two types known as Devchauk and Lagnachauk. Inside a Devchauk is usually a depiction of Palaghata, the mother goddess, symbolizing fertility.

Material used for Warli Art  

The walls are made of a mixture of branches, earth and red brick that make a red ochre background for the paintings. The Warli only paint with a white pigment made for mixture of rice flour and water, with gum as binder. A bamboo stick is chewed at the end to give it the texture of a paintbrush. Wall are painted only to mark special occasion such as wedding, festivals, or harvests.

Innovation

The increase demand for Warli painting in urban centres has led to the art form evolving newer, more diverse styles and varieties. A recent innovation adapted by Warli artists is the depiction of modern, urban motifs like bicycles auto-rickshaws and roads. The basics symbols remain the same but the use of modern items creates a very contemporary vibe which appeals to a wider audience.

Facts about Warli Art

• Traditionally this art was exclusively done by women but with commercialization and greater demand, it has become the domain of male artist.

• The cultural intellectual property right of Warli Painting is held by the Warli tribal. Community which has also set up a not-for-profit organization called the Warli Art Foundation devoted to promoting this art form.

• Warli painting are generally not used on any kind of footwear as this is an auspicious art form for the tribes.

• Tarpa dance is one of the central aspect of every Warli paintings. In this both men and women entwine in their hands and move in circle around the Tarpa players.

 

-  JINSHA M