The well-renowned Warli painting is an art form practiced by the Tribal community of the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India. This art is considered one of the oldest that dates back to as early as the 10th century. At present, it continues to be practiced by the Warli tribe, the skills being passed from one generation to another. Since farming is the main source of their livelihood, these people are extremely close to nature and wildlife. This is reflected in all the Warli paintings that they create. The main theme of the painting centers around Mother nature. Other common depictions are the scenes of tribal festivals, the portrayal of unusual Male gods, and the day-to-day activities of the village people. Tarpa dance associated with the Warli tribe is also sometimes depicted in the paintings. The secondary motifs and patterns are generally repetitive and symbolic.
As simple as they may appear, Warli paintings are certainly not easy to make and require immense skills and practice to master the art. They have received immense popularity not only in India but on a global level and are appreciated for their simple yet elegant appeal. Warli art uses the bare minimum tools and a single white color to draw and paint the figures. It is mostly composed of motifs and patterns using geometric lines and shapes such as circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, and dots. 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. However, modern artists usually make Warli paintings on paper or canvas.
As mentioned above, Warli paintings are highly symbolic and each motif is associated with a certain attribute. Understanding these icons and motifs is important to know what type of Warli painting art it is. There are mainly two types of Warli paintings – the ritualistic and the non-ritualistic. The ritualistic paintings involve figures and symbols which connect to a sacred deity, even if it is speculative. 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.
Tribal Warli Painting - Exotic India Art, Warli Painting Collection
Based on the figures depicted in the paintings, commonly seen motifs in traditional Warli art are:
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. These figures are depicted by two triangles joined together at the tip. The upper triangle symbolizes the trunk and the lower triangle symbolizes the pelvis. The face or head is drawn by a circle but the facial features such as nose, eyes, lips, and ears are not depicted. Male figures are represented by a bunch of hair whereas the female figures are distinguished by special hairstyles using the “Ambada” motif in circular patterns.
Animals are prominent motifs in Warli paintings and are portrayed using simple geometric shapes. For instance, peacocks are depicted as a circular or oval-shaped body with a long neck. A cow is drawn as having a rectangular body with its legs in the shape of short lines.
Trees and plants 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.
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. In this painting, a married woman paints the marriage chowk on the wall with intricate patterns and geometric shapes. There are two types of marriage chowk: Lagna chowk and Dev chowk. These chowks are believed to protect the married couple from evil spirits and enhance their procreative abilities.
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 which is played during the dance and is depicted in the painting as a long, cylindrical tube with a flared end.
Formerly, only womenfolk of the tribe were involved in making Warli paintings, but later, as the paintings became popular, men also developed an interest. Modern artists make Warli paintings by using acrylic or poster paints on hand-made paper. Let us dive deeper into the process of making this amazing traditional art.
The first step of making a Warli painting is to prepare the canvas on which the painting is to be done. The village people typically use natural materials such as cow dung, coal, indigo, mud, and geru mixed with glue to form a solid base. Hence a smooth canvas is formed.
The background colors of Warli paintings are Henna, Indigo, Black, Earthy mud, or Brick red. These colors look elegant. The figures and traditional motifs are then directly painted on the canvas. Depictions and themes such as women holding pots on their heads, a group dancing to a song, birds, trees, houses, and birds are shown using different geometric shapes. The Warli tribe only uses a white pigment made from rice flour and water to paint the patterns. Gum is also used as a binder to make them more durable. The paintbrush that they use is also natural. The end of a bamboo stick is chewed and the texture of a paintbrush is obtained.
The people of the Warli tribe express their culture through these wall art paintings. Although Warli paintings have undergone some changes due to cultural shifts and modernization, the traditional themes and motifs have maintained their artistic tradition. The simplicity and ethnicity of these paintings continue to be highly cherished by people from across the globe. Warli paintings are not just a form of art but are the emblem of timeless appeal.
Warli Paintings Collection - Original Handcrafted by Maharashtrian Artists, Exotic India Art
FAQs(Frequently Asked Question)
Q. What materials are required for Warli art on paper?
If you want to make a Warli painting on paper, you will need paints (either natural pigments or acrylic), brushes (fine brush for making precise lines), a ruler, and varnish to protect the painting and give it a glossy finish.
Q. Which type of brush is used for warli painting?
Traditionally, Warli artists use natural materials such as bamboo sticks to create brush-like strokes to get a raw and authentic look. However, one may also use fine brushes of various tip sizes to paint and create lines and shapes.
Q. What are the main features of a Warli painting?
Warli paintings are known for their minimalistic style of art that uses geometric shapes and elements to depict a scene and figures. A Warli artist only uses white paint on a dark background to create a visually striking contrast. The white pigment is made with rice flour paste and the backdrop colors are made using other natural materials such as Henna, indigo, etc. These paintings portray the cultural heritage of the Warli tribe by depicting their day-to-day life and ritualistic ceremonies.
Q. Which Colors are used in Warli painting?
Traditional Warli paintings use a limited color palette, with white being the central color. The backdrop is usually dark; shades of red, brown, or black. With artistic evolution amidst cultural changes, modern artists experiment with a wider range of colors to create visually appealing Warli artwork.
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