Warli Art And Its Origin

The figures and forms with white geometrical patterns and often decorated with red and yellow lines and dots are commonly known as Warli Paintings and this art is widely recognized as Warli Art. One of the most important point to note about this art is that this is the oldest forms of art in history. The Warli Art is originated from a tribe in Maharashtra called ‘Warli’. This Warli tribe keeps a distance from the other practices and cultures. This art which was so much popular among tribal communities has not gained much recognition as expected. This Art requires more attention and appreciation. The tribe avoids all the modern lifestyles despite being so close to the metro city. Warli art belongs to the Warli tribe native to the North Sahyadri Range in India. This tribe is one of the largest tribes in the northern outskirts of Mumbai. This wall art is made up of basic geometrical graphics like squares, circles, and triangles. These graphics represent their monosyllabic nature like the circle represents the moon and the sun, the triangles represent the pointed trees and mountains while the square patterns represent temples and houses. This art majorly portrays the human surrounding and their basic activities such as festivals, fishing, farming, dancing, traveling, trees and mountains.

There is no evidence and proven reports on when the Warli art originated but It was first discovered in the early 70s. The roots of this art form can be traced back to the 10th century A.D. The Warli tribe culture revolves around nature and its elements which can be seen easily in their art. Scenes like hunting, worship, and surroundings are majorly seen in their paintings. An identifying feature of these paintings is two triangles connected at the tips are drawn in the painting to represent the human body. This art is wall-based, it is made on the walls from rice paste which is white in color, binding gum, and water. There is a belief that Warli art was made to invoke the spiritual powers and the power of the gods. It is very much needed as an art form like this should be transferred from one generation to other to transfer our culture and keep them alive. For that, we should not only encourage but also appreciate the efforts of those artists who are still entertaining us with this ancient art.

By: Manshi Bisht

Content: https://www.gallerist.in/blog/what-is-warli-art