CandelariaSanche at 12:44, 14 April 2026

2026-04-14T12:44:00Z

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{{short description|Art created by tribal people from Maharashtra, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}

[[File:Painted prayers, Warli paintings, at Sanskriti Kendra, Anandagram, New Delhi.jpg|right|thumb|Warli paintings at [[Sanskriti Kendra Museum]], Anandagram, New Delhi]]

'''Warli painting''' is [[tribal art]] mostly created by the [[Warli people]] from the North [[Western Ghats|Sahyadri Range]] in Maharashtra, India. Warli paintings exist in cities such as [[Dahanu]], [[Talasari]], [[Jawhar]], [[Palghar]] and [[Mokhada]] and originated in Maharashtra, where it is still practiced today. The paintings are usually done on mud walls, using a white pigment made from rice paste and water. They depict daily life, farming activities, animals, and natural elements in simple geometric shapes. Traditionally, Warli art is created by women and is often linked with rituals and celebrations.<ref>{{cite web |last=Swaminathan |first=Mangalam |date=July-August 2003 |title=From Wall to Walls – the Warll paintings |url=https://ignca.gov.in/from-wall-to-walls-the-warll-paintings/ |website=Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts |location= |publisher=Vihangama News Letter Vol. IV July-August 2003 |access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref>

==Tradition==
[[File:A Warli painting by Jivya Soma Mashe, Thane district.jpg|thumb|210px|Warli painting from [[Thane district]] by [[Jivya Soma Mashe]].]]
The Warli painting tradition in [[Maharashtra]] is among the finest examples of the folk style of paintings. The [[Warli]] tribe is one of the largest in India, located outside Mumbai. Till the 1970s, even though the tribal style of art is thought to date back as early as the 10th century C.E.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://openart.community/in/history/tales-folk-west-warli-painting/|title=The Tales of the folk from the west - Warli painting {{!}} OpenArt|date=2016-09-28|work=OpenArt|access-date=2017-03-30|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Warli Paintings |title=Living Traditions: Tribal and Folk Paintings of India |location=New Delhi |publisher=Centre for Cultural Resources and Training; Ministry of Culture, Government of India |date=2017 |pages=27–32 [29]}}</ref> The Warli culture is centered on the concept of [[Mother Nature]] and elements of nature are often focal points depicted in Warli painting. Farming is their main way of life and a large source of food for the tribe. They greatly respect nature and wildlife for the resources that they provide for life.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.fliptalks.com/ft/lifestyle-of-the-warli-tribe/|title=Warli Tribe Lifestyle, Warli Paintings, Warli Culture|date=2012-02-13|work=FlipTalks - Lifestyle Portal|access-date=2017-03-30|language=en-US}}</ref> Warli artists use their clay huts as the backdrop for their paintings, similar to how ancient people used [[Cave paintings in India|cave walls]] as their canvas.

[[Jivya Soma Mashe]], the artist in [[Thane district]], has played a great role in making the Warli paintings more popular.

==Painting technique==
[[File:Warli painting in Warli.JPG|thumb|Warli painting depicting a wedding.]]
[[File:Tarpa player.jpg|thumb|A tarpa player {{circa}}1885]]
These rudimentary [[Mural|wall paintings]] use a set of basic geometric shapes: a circle, a triangle, and a square and also a set of colours usually consisting of brown and white. 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 depicts mountains and conical trees. In contrast, the square is rendered as 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 "chauk" or "chaukat", mostly of two types known as ''Devchauk'' and ''Lagnachauk''. Inside a ''Devchauk'' is usually a depiction of ''palghat'', the mother goddess, symbolizing fraternity.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tribhuwan |first1=Robin D.|last2=Finkenauer|first2=Maike|title=Threads Together: A Comparative Study of Tribal and Pre-historic Rock Paintings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lBXdIQVeIS0C&q=Dev+Chowk&pg=PA13|year=2003|publisher=Discovery Publishing House|location=Delhi|isbn=81-7141-644-6}}</ref>

Male gods are unusual among the Warli and are frequently related to spirits that have taken human shape. The central motif in the ritual painting is surrounded by scenes portraying hunting, fishing, farming, trees and animals.<ref>{{cite book |title=Unique Art of Warli Paintings |publisher=D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd. |first=Sudha |last=Satyawadi |date=2010 |pages=4, 5 |isbn=978-8124605578 |quote=... everything in the [Warlis'] household from the wall of their dwellings ... is painted with typical motifs like tree and creepers, birds, animals, sun, moon, man and woman. ... Main motifs are palm impressions, footsteps, representation of tree, leaves, stylized drawings of paddy ..., birds, beasts, men and women in geometrical forms.}}</ref> Festivals and dances are common scenes depicted in the ritual paintings. People and animals are represented by two inverse triangles joined at their tips: the upper triangle depicts the torso and the lower triangle the pelvis. Their precarious equilibrium symbolizes the balance of the universe. The representation also has the practical and amusing advantage of animating the bodies. Another main theme of Warli art is the denotation of a triangle that is larger at the top, representing a man; and a triangle which is wider at the bottom, representing a woman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecraftyangels.com/a-complete-warli-painting-tutorial-guide/|title=A Complete Warli painting Tutorial Guide|date=2015-04-22|publisher=The Crafty Angels|access-date=2016-01-21}}</ref>{{Better source|date=June 2017}} Apart from ritualistic paintings, other Warli paintings covered day-to-day activities of the village people.

One of the central aspects depicted in many Warli paintings is the tarpa dance. The [[Tarpa (instrument)|tarpa]], a trumpet-like instrument, is played in turns by different village men. Men and women entwine their hands and move in a circle around the tarpa player. The dancers then follow him, turning and moving as he turns, never turning their backs to the tarpa. The musician plays two different notes, which direct the head dancer to either move clockwise or counterclockwise. The tarpa player assumes a role similar to that of a snake charmer, and the dancers become the figurative snake. The dancers take a long turn in the audience and try to encircle them for entertainment. The circle formation of the dancers is also said to resemble the circle of life.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Warli Painting |title=Living Traditions: Tribal and Folk Paintings of India |location=New Delhi |publisher=Centre for Cultural Resources and Training; Ministry of Culture, Government of India |date=2017 |pages=27–32 [31]}}</ref>

===Materials used===
The simple pictorial language of Warli painting is matched by a rudimentary technique. The ritual paintings are usually created on the inside walls of village huts. 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<ref>{{cite book |title=Unique Art of Warli Paintings |publisher=D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd. |first=Sudha |last=Satyawadi |date=2010 |page=1 |isbn=978-8124605578 |quote=Warlis use mud plastered walls of huts as their canvas and paint tribal designs in white or brilliant sindûra or red colour. Painted with white colour on austere brown surface make it different from other tribal paintings of India.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Unique Art of Warli Paintings |publisher=D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd. |first=Sudha |last=Satyawadi |date=2010 |page=4 |isbn=978-8124605578 |quote=They [Warlis] paint the mud walls of huts with tribal designs in white on ''geru'' red background.}}</ref> made from a mixture of [[rice flour]] and water, with gum as a binder. A bamboo stick is chewed at the end to give it the texture of a paintbrush. Walls are painted only to mark special occasions such as weddings, festivals or every thing harvests. They make it with a sense that it can be seen by future generations.

==Traditional knowledge and intellectual property==
Warli Painting is traditional knowledge and cultural intellectual property preserved across generations. Understanding the urgent need for intellectual property rights, the tribal non-governmental organization [[Adivasi]] Yuva Seva Sangh helped to register Warli painting with a [[geographical indication]] under the intellectual property rights act.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ipindia.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/IPOJournal/1_65_1/gi-journal-59.pdf|title=Geographical Indication Journal|website=ipindia.nic.in |access-date=2016-07-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Geographical Indications Registry |url=https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GIRPublic/Application/Details/239 |access-date=14 March 2024 |website=GI Search Vision 2.0}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ipindia.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/Images/pdf/Registered-GIs-of-India.pdf|title=Registration Details of Geographical Indication|website=ipindia.nic.in |access-date=2016-07-11}}</ref> Various efforts are in progress for strengthening the sustainable economy of the Warli with social entrepreneurship.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report-warlis-get-intellectual-property-rights-2003-444 |title= get intellectual property rights |website=dnaindia.com|access-date=2017-07-11}}</ref>

==In contemporary culture==
[[File:Warli Paintings, Mysore.jpg|thumb|Warli Paintings in Mysore]]

The lack of regular artistic activity explains the traditional tribal sense of style for their paintings. In the 1970s, this ritual art took a radical turn when [[Jivya Soma Mashe]] and his son Balu Mashe started to paint. They painted not for ritual purposes, but because of their artistic pursuits. Jivya is known as the modern father of Warli painting. Since the 1970s, Warli painting has moved onto paper and canvas.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-of-childhood/warli-at-moc|title=Telling stories and drawing life – Indian Warli Community projects at the V&A Museum of Childhood|work=Blog|access-date=2017-03-30|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Unique Art of Warli Paintings |publisher=D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd. |first=Sudha |last=Satyawadi |date=2010 |page=2 |isbn=978-8124605578 |quote=In early 1970s Warli artists were supplied brown paper and white paint by the Handicraft and Handloom Board.}}</ref>

In 2016, [[Coca-Cola]] India launched a campaign called "Come Home on [[Deepawali]]", which featured Warli paintings. The campaign targeted the youth demographics.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/press-releases/coca-cola-india-celebrates-ancient-warli-folk-art-form-launches-110101200123_1.html |title=Coca-Cola India celebrates ancient Warli folk art form - Launches | Business Standard News |newspaper=Business Standard India |date=12 October 2010 |access-date=2016-01-21}}</ref> The campaign included advertising on traditional mass media, combined with radio, the Internet, and out-of-home media.

According to the India Book of Records, India's largest Warli art painting is hosted at the Manik Public School at Maniknagar, Karnataka. Warli artist Avanti Sandeep Kulkarni designed and hand-painted the sections of painting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://indiabookofrecords.in/largest-warli-art-painting-made-on-a-wall-by-an-individual/ |title=Largest Warli Art Painting | India Book of Records |newspaper=India Book of Records |date=9 February 2023 |access-date=2023-02-09}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite web |last=Swaminathan |first=Mangalam |date=July-August 2003 |title=From Wall to Walls – the Warll paintings |url=https://ignca.gov.in/from-wall-to-walls-the-warll-paintings/ |website=Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts |location= |publisher=Vihangama News Letter Vol. IV July-August 2003 |access-date=2025-12-23}}
* {{cite book |chapter=What About the Warli Painting Tradition? |title=Threads Together: A Comparative Study of Tribal and Pre-historic Rock Paintings |first1=Robin D. |last1=Tribhuwan |first2=Maike |last2=Finkenauer |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |date=2003 |pp=11-61 |isbn=9788171416448}}
* {{cite book |title=Unique Art of Warli Paintings |publisher=D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd. |first=Sudha |last=Satyawadi |date=2010 |isbn=978-8124605578}}
* {{cite book |chapter=Warli Painting |title=Living Traditions: Tribal and Folk Paintings of India |location=New Delhi |publisher=Centre for Cultural Resources and Training; Ministry of Culture, Government of India |date=2017 |pages=27–32}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last=Dalmia |first=Yashodhara |date=1988 |title=The Painted World of the Warlis. Art and Ritual of the Warli Tribes of Maharashtra |location=New Dehli |publisher=Lalit Kala Akademi}}
* {{cite journal |first=Tehezee |last=Moitra |title=Terra Firma and Fluid Spaces: Warli Painting from the Neolithic to the Postmodern |journal=Anglistica AION |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=69–78 |date=2015 |url=http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/anglistica-aion/article/view/8506}}
* {{cite book |chapter=Warli Art |title=The Mystical World of Warlis |publisher=Notion Press |first=Madhukar |last=Vadu |date=2018 |pp=81-104 |isbn=978-1-64429-826-8}}

==External links==

{{commons category| Warli paintings}}

[[Category:Indian folk art]]
[[Category:Geographical indications in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Indian painting]]
[[Category:Palghar district]]
[[Category:Schools of Indian painting]]

Warli painting - Revision history

CandelariaSanche at 12:44, 14 April 2026