The history of Indian textile arts dates back over 5,000 years and represents an important part of India's cultural history. Traditional handloom textiles, natural dyes, and processes have been used. Weaving was considered a holy art and was undertaken by temple weavers. Elaborate patterns and motifs portrayed stories from Indian mythology. Today's fashion artists are still influenced by the rich history and culture of Indian textile craftsmanship.

1. The history of Indian textile arts dates back over five thousand years. It represents an important part of India’s cultural history and has
helped the country’s infrastructure. The elaborate designs, brilliant colours, and utilisation of natural materials distinguish this art.
From generation to generation, the skills of weaving, dying, and printing have been passed down, with each area having its own
distinct style and method. Handloom textiles, natural dyes, and traditional processes have long been used in Indian textile arts.
Not only have Indian textiles been used for clothes, but also for accessories, house decor, and ceremonial fabrics. Weaving was
considered a holy art and was frequently undertaken by temple weavers. Indian textiles’ elaborate patterns and motifs were not only
ornamental, but also meaningful, portraying stories from Indian mythology.
Today’s modern fashion artists are still intertwined with the history, tradition and culture of Indian textile craftsmanship.

3. Folk ART
FOLK ART is rooted in traditions that come from community and culture – expressing cultural identity by
conveying shared community values and aesthetics. FOLK ART encompasses a range of utilitarian and
decorative media, including cloth, wood, paper, clay, metal and more.
Folk art is linked with the forgotten art of story telling.
TYPES OF FOLK ART - Some of the famous Folk and Tribal Art of India:
Tanjore Art.
Madhubani Painting.
Warli Folk Painting.
Pattachitra Painting.
Rajasthani Miniature Painting.
Kalamezhuthu.

4. History of Warli folk art
Although Warli painting was first discovered in the early
seventies, there are no proven records of the origin of this art
form. However, according to several sources and evidence, the
roots of Warli painting can be traced back to the 10th century
A.D.
The term ‘Warli’ is from ‘waral’
Warli painting is a tradition that has evolved in the state of
Maharashtra. The Warli tribe in India is one of the largest tribal
communities in the country and is located on the outskirts of
Mumbai.
The warli paintings by tribal folks typically belong to the northern
region of the Sahyadri Range. This comprises districts such as
Mokhada, Talasari, Dahanu, Palghar, and Jawhar.
Traditionally, the Warli tribe was a semi-nomadic tribe that
survived by hunting.
Over the last couple of decades, the tribe has now evolved to take
on a wide range of agricultural activities as a source of livelihood.
The culture of the Warli tribe revolves the concept of nature and
its element which can be seen as the focal points in Warli
painting. A warli painting is painted on a mud wall in white. They
usually depict scenes of humans engaged in activities such as
hunting, dancing, sowing, or harvesting and are beautifully
executed.
Maharashtrian artists like Jivya Mashe and his sons Balu and
Sadashiv have kept the art form and history of Warli paintings
alive and relevant across the country.
Warli art resembles prehistoric cave paintings,
according to the book on Warli 'Painted World
of the Warli' by Yashodhara Dalmia,
roots of Warli can be found back to 2500 to
3000 BCE. Its visual resemblance to the cave
paintings points to its prehistoric origin.

6. Tradition Techniques of warli Art
Traditionally painted on the red ochre walls of huts, the materials used in Warli painting speak directly to the
circumstances of village life and the local environment — cow dung, rice paste from the surrounding paddies, charcoal
from the fires that are vital to life. The Warli exclusively use a white pigment made from a mixture of rice flour and
water mixed with gum, which is then applied to the wall using a bamboo stick chewed at one end to make a supple
paint brush. Walls are painted only to mark special occasions such as weddings, festivals or harvests.
To create variations of geru, natural dyes are extracted from ingredients such as turmeric, kumkum leaves and
coloured flowers. Black colour is extracted from charcoal and used to depict evil spirits. Red colour from Butea
Monosperma (Palas) flowers used to show the existence of god Narada Muni. Kumkum is used to depict prosperity.
Yellow colour is extracted from pineapple.

7. Themes Of Warli Painting
The paintings do not depict mythological characters.
- circles, triangles and squares. The circles represent the sun & moon and the
triangle represent mountains and pointed trees. The square seems to be a
man-made construct, representing a sacred enclosure of a piece of land. This
square is called "chauk" or "chaukat" and is usually painted by married
women on the walls of the house on the occasion of marriages. A "Devchauk"
is a square frame with the sun, moon, a comb, a ladder & a tarpa around it. It
is ornately decorated and depicts Palaghata, the goddess of fertility in the
centre.
Another important theme in Warli painting is the harvest in the village. Warlis
were traditionally dependent on the land for subsistence and this love for
nature is reflected in the way it is depicted in the paintings. Trees seem to be
swaying in the breeze, birds chirp overhead and the Warlis are depicted hard
at work in the fields. The technique of visual storytelling was formerly done
by women on red ochre mud walls with a white paste . Artists now explore
more complex themes through these beautiful paintings. Even in the most
traditional variations, the simplicity and detail of stories, folk beliefs, customs
and culture are seen.
The most iconic theme in Warli painting is the Tarpa dance. The spiral design
is made of up of men and women with a Tarpa player in the centre. This motif
is based on the Tarpa Dance performed by the tribe. In this dance, the Tarpa
player directs the dance with his Tarpa, a trumpet-like instruments like a
snake charmer. The men and women sway back and forth rhythmically in a
concentric spiral, never turning their backs to the Tarpa player and moving
clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the notes being played. This unique
shape is also said to symbolize the circle of life and death.

8. The tree of life is another symbolic element in Warli painting. The tree
represents human dependence on nature and the delicate balance of life. The
tree of life is usually depicted as a central motif, towering over all the other
elements in the painting and acting as an anchor to all the activities happening
around it. The tree of life is also sometimes depicted as a singular object, with
meticulously drawn leaves providing movement and a mesmerizing quality to it.
Tarpa
Devchauk

10. Lagna Chauk
Different Types of Warli Painting
Dev Chauk
Marriage Nag Panchami

11. Modern Warli Art

12. ARCHANA KOCHHAR
DEBUTS “WARLI”
COLLECTION AT NYFW
Kochhar’s collection titled “Warli” was part of the
Make.In.India Campaign and was in support of the
concept of “global disability inclusion.”
Kochhar’s collection was the perfect fusion of cultures to
New York Fashion Week.

13. Gond art
Gond art is a famous art of the Gond tribal community of central India which not only include painting but also
include folk dances, songs, and performances. It is performed in per traditional way to preserve and communicate the
culture of the Gond tribal community.
The word ‘Gond’ comes from the Dravidian expression ‘Kond’ which means ‘green mountain’.
The Gond people belong to one of the largest tribes in India and their presence has been marked in Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar.

14. Origin of Gond Painting
The history of the Gond people dates nearly 1400
years. The Gond, are the largest Adivasi Community in
India. They are Dravidian and their origin can be traced
to the pre-Aryan era.
Paintings as well as other art forms have always been
quite popular with tribal people in India, especially the
Gond tribe. The Gond people have a belief that viewing
a good image begets good luck Among the Gond, it is
the most prominent among the Pradhan Gonds who
are renowned for their artistic skills,be it painting or
music.
Shri Jangarh Singh Shyam was the first tribal artist to
use canvas and paper for his artwork. Jangarh Singh
Shyam was a Pardhan Gond artist of the village
Patangarh in the Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh.
Pardhan Gonds are one of the subgroups of the Gond
community.
Pardhan Gonds are known for their artistic skills such
as music, singing, painting, etc. Jangarh Singh Shyam
became famous by exhibiting his paintings in Tokyo and
Paris. The Gond painting thus gained worldwide
recognition and became the livelihood of many tribal
families.

15. Inspiration
There are many mythological stories in Gonds that are based on myths and legends.
Gond paintings include animals, plants, and trees, it defines a genuine connection of man with nature and its
surroundings. It is believed that nature has its spirit and is thus sacred, which needs to be respected and loved.
Therefore, when seen in the Gond paintings, all the inspirations have been taken from the idea of loving nature and
finding a soul connection between the two pure auras of nature and humans. After the Gond people have spent their
entire lives living amid nature for more than 5 centuries, apart from it, the Gond paintings also include India's legends,
a few myths, dreams, Gods, and images defining people's lives and existence.
It is fascinating to see that every artist has a unique pattern of dots and dashes and has an explanation as to why they
choose such a pattern. These intricate patterns include forms like ants, trident, peacock feather, rope, water ripples,
tiger ripples and more
Gond paintings are a reflection of man’s close connection with his natural surroundings. However, while a majority of
Gond paintings do take inspiration from nature, it isn’t the only source of inspiration.

16. Themes And Designs
Images of the widely witnessed flora and fauna include snakes, peacocks, leaves, mahua trees, flowers, bears,
mythical beasts, fruits. Technological design of the modern availability that includes bicycle, aeroplanes instil colours
cars. Hindu Mythological Gods such as Kali, Shiva, Ganesha.
Gond artists always believed in defining nature's beauty and worth in their paintings because they knew from the
olden times that nature and man have a significant connection to life and are worthy of being known by all.

18. Technique and Process
While painting, they always used bright natural colours such as red, white, blue, and yellow. They derived these
colours from natural resources such as mud, charcoal, leaves, plant sap, cow dung, and many more.
Each Gond artist uses his own distinctive pattern and style to fill the images. These distinctive patterns are called
signature patterns.
1. Dots
2. Fine Lines
3. Curved Lines
4. Dashes
5. Fish Scales
6. Drops of Water
7. Seed Shapes
8. Geometrical Shapes, etc.

20. Gond art has changed over time and is now being represented on paper and canvas by outstanding painters. It's also
made on wooden trays and boxes, which are popular in other nations. It's also encouraging to see the Indian
government working to protect the Gond artwork.

21. The designer Ankita Chaudhry from
label SAAJ unveiled her Gond art
inspired collection Spring/Summer
2017.

22. Designer Monica Shah has acquired tribal art paintings through The
Gondwana Art Project, helping artisans in need in the process