Important Notice

Untitled
Signed in Devnagari (lower right)
Cow dung and acrylic on cloth
65 x 67 in (165.4 x 170.3 cm)

WARLI PAINTING

Warli art comes from the tribes of the Thane district of Maharashtra, which lies along the foothills of the Sahyadri mountains. The exuberant, swirling geometric patterns of Warli art are countered by the austere white paint with which they adorn brown mud walls. Unlike much Indian folk art, which is rooted in myth and religion, Warli art traditionally depicts social functions, the marriage ceremony in particular. It is a way of inter and intra-personal communication, recording events and transmitting local stories pictorially, without use of the written word.

Warli figuration is based on geometric forms, such as the circle taken from the moon and sun, the triangle simplified from mountains and trees, andthe square, which has no natural equivalent and is therefore used to symbolise sacred enclosures. Human bodies are represented by two triangles, which are animated by an extraordinary quality of vibrancy. The composition of a scene in Warli art is based on providing a clear coherence and order while expressing the belief that life is in constant and cyclical movement. There is no linear timeline for events. The trees, crops, abodes, and humans who inhabit and animate the world, are in harmony with the cosmos which provides a divine order.

Untitled
Signed in Devnagari (lower right)
Cow dung and acrylic on cloth
65 x 67 in (165.4 x 170.3 cm)

WARLI PAINTING

Warli art comes from the tribes of the Thane district of Maharashtra, which lies along the foothills of the Sahyadri mountains. The exuberant, swirling geometric patterns of Warli art are countered by the austere white paint with which they adorn brown mud walls. Unlike much Indian folk art, which is rooted in myth and religion, Warli art traditionally depicts social functions, the marriage ceremony in particular. It is a way of inter and intra-personal communication, recording events and transmitting local stories pictorially, without use of the written word.

Warli figuration is based on geometric forms, such as the circle taken from the moon and sun, the triangle simplified from mountains and trees, andthe square, which has no natural equivalent and is therefore used to symbolise sacred enclosures. Human bodies are represented by two triangles, which are animated by an extraordinary quality of vibrancy. The composition of a scene in Warli art is based on providing a clear coherence and order while expressing the belief that life is in constant and cyclical movement. There is no linear timeline for events. The trees, crops, abodes, and humans who inhabit and animate the world, are in harmony with the cosmos which provides a divine order.