Indian Folk and Tribal Art
India had always been known as the land that portrayed cultural and traditional vibrancy through its conventional arts and crafts. The 35 states and union territories sprawled across the country have their own distinct cultural and traditional identities, and are displayed through various forms of art prevalent there. Every region in India has its own style and pattern of art, which is known as folk art. Other than folk art, there is yet another form of traditional art practiced by several tribes or rural population, which is classified as tribal art. The folk and tribal arts of India are very ethnic and simple, and yet colorful and vibrant enough to speak volumes about the country's rich heritage.
Tanjore Painting [ From the state of Tamilnadu ]
Originating in the city of Thanjavur (Tanjore) about 300 kms from Chennai, Tamilnadu, this form of art developed at the height of cultural evolvement achieved during the rule of mighty Chola empire. The art form evolved and flourished under the patronage of successive rulers. These magnificent paintings adorned the royal dwellings and later found their way into every household.
An extraordinary visual amalgamation of both art and craft, Tanjore paintings mainly consist of themes on Hindu gods and goddesses and saints. Thanjavur paintings are panel paintings done on wooden planks and are characterized by rich and vivid colors, simple iconic composition, glittering gold foils overlaid on delicate but extensive gesso work and inlay of glass beads and pieces or very rarely precious and semi-precious gems. The shine and glean on the gold leaves used by the Tanjore style paintings, lasts forever.
Madhubani Paintings [ From the state of Bihar ]
Kerala Murals [ From the state of Kerala ]
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other permanent surface. A distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.
The murals of Kerala unfathomably stand out for their prominence in beauty, clarity and symmetry with unmatchable linear accuracy. The peculiarity of Kerala murals is their simple and thematic presentation of idealistic reproduction of humans, animals and trees with technical excellence, illustrated with rich and delicate strokes, hued with bright colours which epitomize Kerala Murals.
The murals palette consists of five colours or Panchvarna namely, yellow, red, green, black and white, prepared from mineral pigments and vegetables. These paintings belong to a distinguished lineage with its tradition carries influences from Ajanta. The themes are depicted using common iconographic symbols from the Puranas like Ramayana and Mahabharatafrom the Hindu mythology, which is illustrated highly with brilliance stylistically. The expressions are depicted with artistic mastery.
Warli Art [ From the state of Maharashtra ]
Warli is the vivid expression of daily and social events of the Warli tribe of Maharashtra, used by them to embellish the walls of village houses. This was the only means of transmitting folklore to a populace not acquainted with the written word. This art form is simple in comparison to the vibrant paintings of Madhubani.
Kalamkari [ From the state of Andra Pradesh ]
To create design contours, artists use a bamboo or date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen. This pen is soaked in a mixture of fermented jaggery and water; one by one these are applied, then the vegetable dyes.
Phad Art
[From the state of Rajasthan]
Originating in Rajasthan, Phad is mainly a religious form of scroll painting depicting folk deities Pabuji or Devnarayan. The 30- or 15 feet-long canvas or cloth that it is painted on is called phad. Vegetable colours and a running narrative of the lives and heroic deeds of deities characterise these paintings.
The Bhopas, the priest-singers traditionally carry the painted phads along with them and use these as the mobile temples of the folk deities, who are worshipped by the Rebari community of the region.
Gond Art
[From the State of Madhya Pradesh]
Gond art is a form of painting from folk and tribal art that is practiced by one of the largest tribes in India – the Gond – who are predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, but also can be found in pockets of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, and Odisha.
Painting in the region has been happening for a really long time as the history of the Gond people dates nearly 1400 years .
According to the Gond belief system, each and everything whether it is a hill, river, rock or a tree is inhabited by a spirit and, consequently, is sacred. So the Gond people paint them as a form of respect and reverence.
Patachitra
[From the state of Odhisha & West Bengal]
A cloth-based scroll painting from Odisha and West Bengal, these paintings with sharp, angular bold lines depict epics, Gods and Goddesses.
Originating from the fifth century in religious hubs like Puri and Konark, around the same time that sculpturing began, considering there was no known distinction between an artist and sculptor back then.
What’s unique about this art form is that the dress style depicted in the paintings has heavy influence of the Mughal era.