Life through geometry in Warli

Experience Warli art from the Mashe family, showcasing the artistic work of three generations at an exhibition organised by Inherited Arts Forum (IAF). Explore the daily routine of rural life, relationship with nature & customs.

The triangles, circles and lines in austere white against a mud brown background align to tell stories of village life and the customs and traditions there on walls and canvasses.

Warli represents the daily routine of rural life, the relationship of the tribal people with nature, their gods, myths, traditions, customs, and festivities. “Warli is our life and our life is Warli,” says Vijay Soma Mashe, a third- generation artist, who is in Delhi to showcase the artistic work of his family at an exhibition organised by Inherited Arts Forum (IAF).

The exhibits include some rare paintings by the late Jivya Soma Mashe, his sons Balu Jivya Mashe and Sada Shiv Jivya Mashe, and grandson Vijay. “Warli flows in our DNA”, says Vijay, talking of his grandfather Jivya who not only introduced varied themes in the art form but also took it from the walls of mud houses to the canvas.

The Mashe family belongs to Ganjad village in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. Jivya Soma Mashe is known as the father of Warli art because he pulled it out of the traditional domain to popularise Warli art beyond the Sahyadri Mountains in Thane district, Maharashtra, where the ritualistic tribal art form originated.

Till the Seventies, the art form remained confined to depiction of joy and happiness that surrounds marriages. It was traditionally practised bywomen of the Warli tribe called Suvasinis, who decorated the Lagn Chowk or the wedding square. Layers of cow dung slapped on the walls of village homes formed the canvas. When the dung dried, they were painted in mud brown to create a background, and bamboo-stick paint brushes were used to meticulously craft scenes, figures, and objects.

But it was not recognised as an artform even though it was in practice for centuries.

Jivya Soma Mashe was the first male artist to enter the female-dominated bastion of Warli art. Known as the master of movement and geometry, he gave a new meaning to the minimalistic strokes and introduced highly imaginative compositions capturing the constant cyclical movement of life. Inspired by folklore and other stories narrated to children, he and his sons began showcasing Warli on art paper in galleries across the world