Salient Features and Process of Creating Warli Painting
Warli Tribal Art of India: There are certain salient features associated with this style of painting. Some major features are:
- The paintings are traditionally done on walls by using a basic graphic vocabulary, including triangles, circles, squares, dots, and crooked lines.
- It represents a human or animal; two triangles are joined at their tips, with circles acting as the head. The base is made of a mixture of mud, branches, and cow dung that make a red ochre background.
- For painting, only white pigment is used, which is made of a mixture of gum and rice powder.
- The wall paintings are usually done by women for auspicious occasions like harvests and weddings (non-secular themes).
- Since the Warli tribe lives a simple life, they use various objects such as clay pots, cloth, and the walls of the hut as backdrops for creating paintings.
- This art form is two-dimensional, with no perspective or proportion.
- The most important aspect of the painting is that there is no depiction of mythological characters or images of deities, but mostly the social life of the tribal community.
- The background colors of these paintings are essentially Henna, Indigo, Ochre, Black, Earthy Mud, and Brick Red (Geru).
Categories of Warli Paintings
There are two main types of Warli paintings: ritualistic and non-ritualistic. The ritualistic paintings revolve around figures and symbols that are connected to a sacred deity or a portrayal of unusual male gods. On the other hand, non-ritualistic paintings are done for decorative and entertainment purposes. They typically portray scenes of agriculture, festivals, and other social activities. The secondary motifs and patterns are generally repetitive and symbolic.
Based on the figures depicted in the paintings, commonly seen motifs in traditional Warli art are:
Animals
Animals are prominent motifs in Warli paintings and are portrayed using simple geometric shapes.
Human Figures
Human figures are the central motifs in a Warli painting that depict them engaged in some sort of activity such as fishing, farming, dancing, and hunting. The face or head is drawn by a circle, but the facial features such as the nose, eyes, lips, and ears are not depicted.
Marriage Ceremonies
The marriage ceremony in a Warli painting holds immense significance. The Warli marriage lasts for four or five days, and various rituals are associated with it. There are two types of marriage chowk: lagna chowk and dev chowk.
Fields and Natural Landscape.
Natural landscapes and fields are often depicted with minimal details, such as lines and curves. Leaves are drawn as simple linear strokes attached to the branch of the tree. This painting depicts the fields and natural landscapes in the hamlets.
The Tarpa Dance.
The Tarpa dance is the lively folk dance form of the Warli community and is an integral part of their cultural heritage. Warli artists incorporate simplified stick figures to depict the dynamic poses, steps, and holding of hands to describe the circular formation of the dance. The word “tarpa” is a traditional musical instrument that is played during the dance and is depicted in the painting as a long, cylindrical tube with a flared end.
History of Warli Painting | Warli Tribal Art of India
Warli Painting: Warli painting is a ritualistic folk painting that originates from the Gujarat-Maharashtra border region. It is a tribal art form done primarily by the Adivasi community located in the North Sahyadri Range in western India. This painting and its origin can be traced back to c. 2500 to 3000 BCE. This painting has certain salient features that distinguish it from other folk paintings of the Indian subcontinent. Every symbol and motif in Warli’s paintings has its significance and symbolism.
This article will discuss its features, process, categories, significance, and emerging concepts. Check the History of Warli Painting | Warli Tribal Art of India.
Table of Content
- History of Warli Painting: Warli Tribal Art of India
- Salient Features and Process of Creating Warli Painting
- Significance of Warli Painting.
- Modernisation and Evolution of Warli Painting.