Indian Art - Folk and Tribal Art

Folk and Tribal Art

Folk and tribal art in India takes on different manifestations through varied medium such as pottery, painting, metalwork,dhokra art, paper-art, weaving and designing of objects such as jewelry and toys.These are not just aesthetic objects but infact have an important significance in people's lives and are tied to their beliefs and rituals.the objects can range from sculpture, masks(used in rituals and ceremonies), paintings, textiles, baskets, kitchen objects, arms and weapons, and the human body itself(Tattoos and piercings).There is a deep the symbolic meaning that is attached to not only the objects themselves but also the materials and techniques used to produce them.

Often puranic gods and legends are transformed into contemporary forms and familiar images. Fairs, festivals,local heroes (mostly warriors) and local deities play a vital role in these arts.

It is in art where life and creativity are inseparable. The tribal arts have a unique sensitivity, as the tribal people possess an intense awareness very different from the settled and urbanized people. Their minds are supple and intense with myth, legends, snippets from epic, multitudinous gods born out of dream and fantasy. Their art is an expression of their life and holds their passion and mystery.

Folk art also includes the visual expressions of the wandering nomads. This is the art of people who are exposed to changing landscapes as they travel over the valleys and highlands of India. They carry with them the experiences and memories of different spaces and their art consists of the transient and dynamic pattern of life. The rural, tribal and arts of the nomads constitute the matrix of folk expression. Examples are Warli and Gond folk art.

It is important to note that today while most of tribes and traditional folk artist communities are at some assimilated into the familiar kind of civilised life,they still continue to practice their art.Unfortunately though,market and economic forces have ensured that the numbers of these artists are dwindling.A lot of effort is being made by various NGOs and the Govt. of India to preserve and protect these arts and to promote them.Several scholars in India and across the world have studied these arts and some valuable scholarship is available on them.A noted art historian,Dr.Jyotindra Jain has contributed greatly to this cause.

The folk spirit has a tremendous role to play in the development of art and in the overall consciousness of indigenous cultures. The Taj Mahal, the Ajanta and Ellora caves have become world famous. The Taj Mahal is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.