Indian Folk Art: An Introduction
By Dr Vikram Kumar
Indian folk arts are culturally based art forms
that are handed down through generations. These traditional art forms include
music, dancing, puppetry, storytelling, etc. This is a very unique feature of
Indian Art and Culture. India is known for its arts and crafts that are
conventional. The various art forms are displayed through distinct cultural and
traditional identities by states and union territories. The rich
heritage of India comprises ethnic, colourful and vibrant tribal arts. “The Constitution
of India identifies the indigenous people as “tribes”. Tribes as a social
formation may be identified in two ways: firstly, as a stage in the history of the evolution of human civilization; secondly, as a society organized on the basis
of kinship ties which enables them to be a multifunctional grouping. In India, tribal is defined in reference to the cultural practices of certain groups in relation to religious and cultural practices. Tribal and folk arts overlap.”
According to an evaluation study on Indian folk arts by Gramin Vikas Seva Sansthan, “All that is tribal art is Folk art, but Folk art can be non-tribal also. Both tribal and folk arts are deeply connected to the community. They emerge from the daily life of a community and are shaped by the environment in which the community lives. This is because the lives of these two tribes have manifested in different terrains and they have extremely different lifestyles, rituals, customs, religions that are reflected in their arts. The term ‘Folk’ includes all those persons living within a given area, who are conscious of a common cultural heritage and have some constant traits, e.g., occupation, language and religion. The report further postulates, Tribal art or Folk art is motivated by utilitarian and ritualistic features and sometimes by recreational impulses. Some practitioners may be better skilled than others, but tribal or folk art are essentially about a group or community rather than the individual artist. Mainly dominated and shaped by religious motifs, the relation between this art and religion is a universal feature. It is an integral part of living”.
Tribal art grew and prospered in natural settings like forests and valleys, away from the centres of non-tribal civilization, unaffected by the fast-paced life, revolutionary changes and the principles governing the art. It has evolved from its own techniques that are deeply rooted in its tribal traditions, where its individuality has garnered the attention of the outside world of art and is gradually getting recognized as an independent art with its own characteristics. Tribal art portrays life in a pure form, as the tribal people live naturally and in unsophisticated ways.
The
aesthetics in tribal arts satisfies man’s innate desire for beauty and evokes
emotions. For example, reliefs made of clay, wood or metal are used in
decorating houses. The performance of art is not only for what the form
conveys; content is equally important. Apart from evoking deep emotions, it
presents what is essential and considered most relevant. However, as it is
known, multiple messages the tribal people aim to convey through a piece of art
is often not understood by those who do not belong to the tribal world. Since the
masses buy such forms of art for their aesthetic beauty, it hurts the
sentiments of the artisans as the meaning of each stroke is never understood.
A
traditional skill passed on from generation to generation, the tribal and folk
artisans do not undergo any formal training and learn the skills while growing
up in their day-to-day life. These art forms originated as a means of
decorating walls and civic structures as they were more local, domestic and
decorative in nature. These artworks use natural colours which are produced
with the help of locally available ingredients.
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