Warli: art made from circles, triangles and lines
The Warli people of Maharashtra paint whole stories using just a few simple shapes.
The Warli are an Adivasi (tribal) community who live in the hills of Maharashtra, north of Mumbai. For hundreds of years, they have painted pictures on the walls of their homes.
The walls are made of mud and painted reddish-brown. The pictures are white, made from a paste of rice flour and water, painted with a thin bamboo stick.
Only three shapes
A circle is the sun or the moon. A triangle can be a mountain, a tree or a person’s body. A square marks a special place. Warli paintings show everyday life: farming, fishing, dancing and festivals.
Draw a Warli dancer
1. Two triangles
Draw two triangles that touch at their points. That is the body.
2. A round head
Add a small circle on top for the head.
3. Arms and legs
Use straight lines for arms and legs. Bend them to dance!
4. Make a scene
Draw lots of people, trees, the sun and animals.
Use a white crayon or chalk on this brown space
Your turn: draw your family in Warli style.
Did you know?In many Warli paintings, people dance in a big circle holding hands. It is called the tarpa dance, after the long wind instrument played in the middle.