Traditional Indian Folk Art Forms That Should Be Preserved

Its origins may be traced back to the kingdom of Janak (Sita's father in the Ramayana) in Nepal and present-day Bihar. It is one of the most popular Indian folk arts, largely practised by women seeking to be one with God. This art style was unknown to the outside world until the British discovered it after an earthquake in the 1930s exposed ruined buildings with Madhubani paintings. According to William G. Archer, it was inspired by the work of Picasso and Miro. The majority of these paintings or murals show gods, vegetation, and animals.

This is one of India's earliest art styles, having been developed by the Warli tribes of the Western Ghats about 2500 BCE. It primarily uses circles, triangles, and squares to make a variety of forms and reflect everyday life activities like fishing, hunting, festivals, dancing, and so on. The human form distinguishes it: a circle and two triangles. The paintings are all done on a red ochre or black backdrop, with white shapes.

The Gondi tribe of Madhya Pradesh developed these bright, vibrantly coloured paintings representing mostly flora and wildlife, characterised by a sense of connection with nature. The colours are created using charcoal, cow dung, leaves, and coloured soil. It is made up of dots and lines if you look thoroughly. These styles are now replicated but with acrylic paints. It can be considered an evolution in the Gond art form, led by Jangarh Singh Shyam, the most famous Gond artist who revitalised the art for the rest of the world in the 1960s.

Tanjore or Thanjavur paintings developed around 1600 AD, backed by the Thanjavur Nayakas. A Thanjavur artwork can be identified by the use of gold foil, which glitters and gives the picture a surreal appearance. These wooden plank panel paintings portray devotion to gods, goddesses, and saints. Its styles are influenced by Maratha and Deccani art, as well as European forms.

It is a recently found painting style that originated in 19th century Bengal, namely in Kalighat. It was an era when rebellion against the British was an achievable and exciting idea. These paintings on fabric and pattas showed Gods and Goddesses at first, but eventually shifted to social change. The art was defined by flawless strokes, brushwork, and simple yet bold drawings created using affordable paper and paint colours, squirrel hair brushes, and colour pigments. It tried to increase viewers' awareness of socioeconomic problems by depicting wealthy zamindars drinking alcohol with ladies, priests with 'unchaste' women and police babus behaving sloppy.

These cloth-based scroll paintings from Odisha represent epics, Gods, and Goddesses with sharp, angular strong lines. Originating from the fifth century in religious places like Puri and Konark, about the same time when sculpturing emerged, given there was no recognised distinction between an artist and sculptor back then. What distinguishes this art genre is that the clothing represented in the paintings is heavily influenced by the Mughal Empire.

This vanishing art form, which originated in modern-day Telangana, is exclusively performed by the Nakashi family, where it has been passed down for many generations. The long scroll tradition and Kalamkari art influenced Cheriyal scrolls, a considerably more refined variant of Nakashi art. These 40-45 foot scrolls depicting puranas and epics were an essential visual accompaniment as saints went around singing or telling the epics. They look like modern-day comic panels, and each scroll has around 50 of them. They utilise primary colours and a lively imagination, which contrasts sharply with the typical strength of Tanjore or Mysore paintings.

These paintings are distinguished by their small size, yet rich detailing and keen emotions. Miniature paintings originated in the Mughal Empire, in the 16th century, and were influenced by Persian forms. They thrived under the rule of Shah Jahan and Akbar. It was then adopted by Rajputs and is currently widely practised in Rajasthan. The paintings, like other types of art, represent religious motifs and epics. Humans are depicted with wide eyes, a sharp nose, and a thin waist in these paintings, and men are invariably seen wearing a turban.