Important Notice

In a country where art is typically approached with a preset notion of being obscure and remote, India's indigenous arts and crafts remain veiled in mystery. Characterised by stylised figures, flat renderings, repetitive motifs, and themes immersed in ritual, religion and festivity, they encapsulate and celebrate the traditions and way of living of India's numerous communities.

The most well-known of these arts include Warli, Gond,... In a country where art is typically approached with a preset notion of being obscure and remote, India's indigenous arts and crafts remain veiled in mystery. Characterised by stylised figures, flat renderings, repetitive motifs, and themes immersed in ritual, religion and festivity, they encapsulate and celebrate the traditions and way of living of India's numerous communities.

The most well-known of these arts include Warli, Gond, Saura, Madhubani or Mithila, Bengal scrolls, and Kalighat pats. They would be usually undertaken by one community, so they assumed a location or tribe- based identity. Traditionally, communities worked within limitations, using only what was available at the time. One can tell how laborious and time-consuming they are from their intricate details. Until the 20th century, they were restricted to very specific occasions, usually religious and celebratory, and were infused with a unique significance.

These art forms were pushed to the background when tribes came under the expanding British empire. However, a handful of Modern artists, such as Jamini Roy and Jagdish Swaminathan, cornered with questions pertaining to identity and seeking out a different idiom, turned to their roots to imbibe aspects from indigenous arts. Swaminathan was actively involved in pushing the indigenous arts to the fore; he established the Roopankar Museum of Arts at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, to promote the cause of folk and tribal artists.

These indigenous art forms have now evolved in their social and cultural roles. Efforts by art historians and the government have helped push the indigenous arts to prominence, but more importantly, artists themselves have painstakingly modified a centuries-old ethos to contemporary demand. Looking at works made in indigenous sensibilities today, one can easily relate to the themes portrayed.

At the forefront of giving the folk and tribal arts the recognition they deserved, was Baua Devi, who epitomised the intricacies and vivid colours of Madhubani painting.

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