Warli painting is a form of family art, done by the people called “Warli”. The tribes live in ‘Dahanu’, Maharashtra. Other tribes that participate in Warli paintings are Malharkoli, Kokani and Katkari. Warli paintings come from the Indian state of Maharashtra. Warli paintings are started from the decoration of house walls on joyful occasions, for blessings of God. It is done on brown surface, painted by red color, called ‘Geru’. The rice paste mixed in milk or water is used for these paintings. The artificial colors like poster colors are also used. Other colors used are yellow (turmeric powder) and red (‘sindoor’ powder).

Warli Art of Maharashtra :

Warli Painting, Photo Credit : flickr – dalbera

Main occupation of Warli people is agriculture; they have religious faith towards Tiger God, whose wooden statues can be seen in many parts of the district. These people live in rough and rocky hills. The white color is used on a red earthen background. Warli painting is simple and linear with the greatest use of triangular shapes.

The Warli paintings represent the basic principles of life and basis of any tribe. The Warli people life is a never-ending circle. In all occasions like child birth, marriage, and death they draw circles, symbol of Mother Goddess. Death is not the end for them somewhat it is a new beginning. The circles are best to represent the art of warli.

Warli art is based on the folk life of socio-religious customs; imaginations and values. Warli designs include the crop season, celebration, wedding, rituals and births. The Warli houses also see a pattern in decoration and designs. A warli painting shows a normal work day in the life of the Warli tribe’s. The tradition which gave birth to Warli paintings. A Warli painting contains all the actions of the past, the silence of the present and the promise of the future within it.  It is done through simple folk symbols drawn with bold, easy in line with none but the most minimum colors are needed, no attention is required to draw their message.

Warli paintings are painted white on mud walls. The paintings are beautifully showing usually show scenes of human figures busy in activities like hunting; dancing, sowing and harvesting. The wall paintings use a very basic graphic design like a circle, a triangle and a square while triangles are copied from mountains and huge pointed trees. The square indicates a sacred area Scenes including hunting, fishing and farming, festivals and dances, trees and animals surround the central image in these ceremony paintings. Their unstable balance represents the balance of the universe, and of the couple, and has the practical and funny advantage of animating the bodies.