TRIBAL PAINTINGS OF INDIA

INTRODUCTION

The most archaic clans in India are called tribes, and they each have their unique customs and ways of life. The subjects of their paintings frequently had a close connection to their line of work and offered an explanation of their lives through their interaction with nature. They extracted vibrant colors from natural minerals and herbs and employed them in their artworks. These paintings were used to decorate their houses, and for researchers, they are a valuable source of information about tribal life.

BHIL PAINTINGS

The Bhils, who live in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, are the second-largest tribe in India. While some academics even contend that Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, was a Bhil, some Bhils trace their descent to Eklavya, the archer from the Mahabharata.

The clay walls of the Bhil people's hamlet homes used to be decorated with their art. Neem sticks and other twigs would be utilized to paint lovely pictures while using natural dyes. In a language they invented, the Bhils painted beautiful paintings on floors and walls using turmeric, flour, vegetables, leaves, and oil to produce brilliant colors that expressed their experiences.

Bhil paintings typically include big colored in with earthy yet vibrant hues and then covered with a layer of uniform dots in a variety of patterns and colors that contrast dramatically with the background.

Also frequently ritualistic is bhil art. Each artwork tells a tale about the land by using images of people, animals, insects, deities, and festivals. In many of the legends, even the Sun and Moon appear as characters. Bhil paintings depict legends and folklore. Deaths and births are documented. Recollections of religious occasions. Even during festivals, these drawings are presented to gods and goddesses as gifts.

A Bhil painting's dots are not randomly placed. They are patterns that the painters might use to depict anything they want, from ancestors to gods. Every Bhil artist's creation is distinct because these patterns are exclusively their own doing, and the dot patterns can be regarded as the artist's hallmark style.

Bhil art is instinctive and primal and was created as a result of a long-standing relationship with nature. The lifestyle of the Bhils is mostly based on the land they labor with as an agricultural society. The art is particularly special because it has been passed down through generations, with most artists learning it from their moms.

PITHORA

The Rathwa, Bhils, and Bhilala tribes paint pithora, ritualistic paintings, on the walls of their homes. Pithora is another name for the Hindu god of marriage and other rituals which is very famous in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. As a traditional occupation, the art form is passed down through the generations.

They were once rock, wall, and cave art. The paintings are created in honor of Baba Pithora, a tribal god. Other indigenous deities are also revered. Modern motifs like guns and airplanes have also been incorporated into the paintings through evolution. The painters, known as "Lakhindra," are often men. Women who were menstruation were not included in the picture because they were viewed as impure in traditional cultures. Unmarried girls might participate in the process of using dung, water, and chuna to plaster the background of walls. The chief priest in question is a male shaman known as a "Bhadvo." Overall, it is a practice that favors men.

The first step is "Lipai," which entails the unmarried girls setting the background of the walls with dung, water, and chuna. Utilizing brushes made from branches of the Tendu and Palash trees, they were painted in stunning and vibrant reds, greens, oranges, blues, and pinks. These paintings can be identified by the horses, sun, and moon, which are considered lucky and sacred symbols. Additionally, there are birds, animals, trees, etc. Similar to many other tribal art forms, colors are used to express social cohesion and everyday activities of rural life like farming, hunting, plowing, and exuberance in celebrations like dancing and singing.

Since there are never any duplicate paintings in real Pithora art, this quality serves as one of its main selling qualities. In murals, there are various color schemes, floral patterns, and symmetry. Because these paintings are a reservoir of rich tribal legacy, they help to contribute to history and heritage. This fading art is being revitalized through artists' entrepreneurship, market innovations, and government backing.

WARLI

The Warli or Varli are an indigenous tribe (Adivasi) of western India that inhabit the coastal and mountainous regions around the Maharashtra-Gujarat border as well as the neighboring territories. A tradition that dates back to 2500 or 3000 BCE is continued by the Warli. Their mural artwork is comparable to that found in Madhya Pradesh's Rock Shelters at Bhimbetka, which were constructed between 500 and 10,000 BCE. They use a circle, a triangle, and a square in their incredibly crude wall paintings as their only graphic elements. They created monosyllabic artworks. The circle represents the sun and moon, and the triangle is made up of mountains and pointed trees, both of which they observed in nature.

Only the square, which denotes a sacred enclosure or a plot of land, appears to follow a distinct logic and appears to have been created by humans. The square, also known as the "chauk" or "chaukat," is thus the primary motif in each ritual artwork. There are primarily two sorts of squares: Devchauk and Lagnachauk. We discover Palaghata, the mother goddess who represents fertility, inside a Devchauk. Male gods are uncommon among the Warli and are typically connected to spirits that have transformed into humans, which is significant.

These ceremonial paintings' main subject is surrounded by scenes showing farming, festivals, dances, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Two triangles are linked at the tip to represent the human and animal bodies; the upper triangle represents the trunk and the lower triangle represents the pelvis. Their perilous equilibrium serves the dual purposes of animating the bodies while also serving as a representation of the universe's and the couple's delicate balance.

Typically, the cottages are where the ritual paintings are completed. To create a Red Ochre background for the wall paintings, the walls are constructed from a mixture of branches, dirt, and cow dung. All of Warli's paintings are done in white. They use gum as a binder and a rice paste and water mixture for their white pigment. To create a bamboo stick as flexible as a paintbrush, they chew the end of the stick. Only exceptional events like marriages or harvests are commemorated with wall paintings. The fairly primitive quality of their paintings—reserved until the late 1970s for women—is explained by the lack of regular artistic engagement.

However, this ritual painting underwent a major change in the 1970s when Jivya Soma Mashe and his son Balu Mashe began to paint for personal artistic reasons rather than for any specific rite. In 2010, Coca-the "Come Cola's home on Diwali" advertising campaign included a Warli painting as part of its tribute to India's youth and acknowledgment of the distinctive way of life of the Warli tribe in Western India.

GOND PAINTINGS

Villagers of the Gond tribes who reside in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district create gond paintings. Most of the themes used in paintings are taken from folktales. and Gond mythology; as a result, these paintings are more than just ornaments; they also serve as instantaneous displays of their adherents' commitment to their own religions.

The use of vivid colors like white, red, blue, and yellow to depict horses, elephants, tigers, birds, gods, men, and everyday objects is one of the most remarkable aspects of Gond art. Usually, the colors come from naturally occurring substances like charcoal, colored soil, plant sap, leaves, and even cow dung. Paintings are formed by layering dots one on top of the other in an upward, downward, and sideways direction.

SANTHAL

The pre-aryan period is where Santhal Paintings first appeared. They are painted by a unique group of people known as Jadu Patua, or magic painters, in the Santhal Paragana district along the boundary between Bihar and Bengal. Simple themes including weddings, harvests, music, and daily routines are covered in these paintings. Most of the designs in these paintings include human figures. The stats are stark yet accurate, and symmetrical. These paintings are done on handmade paper, sometimes with a canvas made of cloth behind them. These paintings' colors were created with natural veggies.

SAURA PAINTINGS ORISSA TRIBE

The Saura tribe, who live in the hilly areas of the Koraput, Gunpur, Ganjam, and Gajapati districts of south Orissa, creates saora paintings. The curing of illness, healthy birthing, and other life events are all depicted in the Saora community's artwork. The subjects of the paintings include the Sun, Moon, Icons of the Guardian Spirits, and Ghosts. Modern themes are widely used today, like bicycles, cars, and airplanes. These artworks are wall-mounted.

surfaces covered in rice paste and crimson ochre. In order to improve the visual impact, black, yellow, and ultramarine blue are occasionally also employed. The colors are not fixed on the wall with adhesive. Painting is done with brushes made from palm twigs; the painter beats the end of the stick to make it fibrous.

TRIBAL PAINTINGS OF INDIA