Warli Paintings

Warli art is a traditional art form from Maharashtra, India. It is characterized by simple geometric shapes such as circles, triangles and squares to depict everyday life, nature, and ritualistic themes. The "Tarpa Dance," a traditional Warli dance showing people dancing in a circular formation around a musician playing the “Tarpa” (a wind instrument) is a frequently depicted theme. The paintings are usually white on a mud-based background symbolizing harmony between humans and nature. The art form was primarily used to decorate the walls of village homes, especially during festivals, weddings and harvest seasons. 

Technique and Materials 

Warli paintings were traditionally created on mud walls. The background is typically brown, made using red mud or cow dung. The artwork is created using a white pigment made of rice paste and water, sometimes mixed with gum for durability. The pigment was traditionally applied using twigs, bamboo sticks or chewed bamboo.