Warli Folk Paintings

The Warli tribe dwell mainly in the forests of the Sahyadri mountains in Dahanu tehsil of Thane district of Maharashtra, India. The exact origin of Warli is yet unknown, however, it can be traced to as early as the tenth century AD. The tribal art was eventually revived in the seventies and is most popular nowadays for its simplicity and depiction of life.

The name Warli comes from the word "Waral", which means a piece of land or a field. Farming is the main source of livelihood for Warlis. Their rich tradition of myths, folk songs and folklore is passed down through their paintings, as the written word is not used for communication.

Warli paintings are strangely unlike other folk paintings of India, which consist of various primary colors in abundance. Instead they are painted in white on brown or brick red mud base. The Warli art paintings typically depict multitudes of tiny human forms hunting, dancing or cultivating the land against backdrop of huts, trees and plants. The human figures are typically line-drawn, triangular geometric figures as they sing dance and perform daily chores describing the day to day activities of the Warlis. The tribal art, which is realistic, is traditionally done to celebrate weddings and is a stylized depiction of the life and activities of the tribe. Its painted directly on the walls as murals with mud, charcoal and cow dung as base, with rice paste or white fine powder mixed with water and tree-gum and a twig as a brush.

A single painting may depict many different stories all happening simultaneously, capturing the daily simple life .God and Goddesses are painted by women and are a part of all kitchens to keep the evil spirits away. The paintings are considered sacred and without it the marriage ceremony cannot take place.

The Warlis do not narrate mythology or great epic, but tell stories of simple daily activity and social lifestyle close to nature. Nowadays urban life has also found its place in the warli painting since change and evolution cannot be denied. Hence you find trains, high rise buildings and airplanes being a part of the paintings amalgamating artistically with traditional paintings.

Warli has diversified into using different backgrounds. I have used different colors for base and also used different backgrounds.I have also used longer lasting paints to preserve the paintings.