Warli painting is an ancient
tribal craft of India that dates back to 10th century A.D. or earlier. Warli figurines
are stick-like and the geometric art bears a striking resemblance to the
pre-historic cave paintings, like those in Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh. Compared to the colorful and intricate designs seen in other Indian paintings, the tribal Warli paintings are rather simple yet vibrant.
The Warlis are a tribal farming community blissfully nestled in
and around the Western Ghats. Their villages are
lush green with hills and farms strewn around. Despite their
proximity to the bustling city of Mumbai, they maintain their tribal lifestyle
and shy away from modern influences.
Traditionally, Warli paintings were done
on special occasions only by women on the walls of their home. The wall surface is first smeared with cow dung and then a layer of red mud is applied. This is then painted upon with rice paste for the white colour. Until the 1970s,
the Warli craft was not much known outside the villages where it is practiced.
In the ‘70s, the Indian Government and a prominent tribal artist- Jivya Soma
Mashe brought the craft to the fore in the national and international markets. Today, for commercial purposes these paintings are also done on cloth,
paper and wood. To suit these new materials, the rice paste was substituted by poster paints (rice paste dries up and flakes off cloth surface). Also, the men have now outnumbered the women as Warli artists.