The Worship of Tree of Life

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Item Code:	PW08
Specifications:	Warli Painting On Cotton FabricFolk Art of the Warli Tribe (Maharashtra)
Dimensions	19.5 inches X 18 inches

Handmade

Free delivery

Fully insured

100% Made in India

Fair trade

Creating Magic on Canvas: The Making of Warli Paintings

The very famous Warli painting is an art form practiced by Tribal people of the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India. This art is considered to be 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. 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.

Warli paintings are made on various objects such as clay pots, cloth, paper, walls, etc. As simple as they may appear, Warli paintings are certainly not easy to make and require immense skills and practice to master the art.

1. The canvas is prepared in a traditional way

The first step of making a Warli is to prepare the canvas on which the painting is to be done. The village people 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.

2. Background and figures are made on the canvas

The background colors of Warli paintings are Henna, Indigo, Black, Earthy mud, and Brick red. These colors look elegant. The figures and traditional motifs are then directly painted on the canvas. The basic shapes used in the painting are triangles, circles, squares, dots, and dashes. 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 these 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 these people use is also natural. The end of a bamboo stick is chewed and the texture of a paintbrush is obtained.

Formerly, only womenfolk of the tribe were involved in making Warli paintings, but later, as the paintings became popular, men also developed an interest. The people of the Warli tribe express their culture through these paintings. Modern artists make Warli paintings by using acrylic or poster paints on hand-made paper. Today, these paintings are highly demanded across the globe and their commercial value has increased a lot in recent years.

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