Important Notice

MAHARASHTRA
20TH CENTURY
Fabric paint on cloth
32.5 x 37.25 in (80.8 x 98.8 cm)


Jivya Soma Mashe is one of most well known practitioners of Warli art. Mashe's art is inspired by folklore and stories of celebration narrated to the children in his community from a very early age. His images are based on geometric forms, such as the circle taken from the moon and sun, the triangle simplified from mountains and trees, and the square, which has no natural equivalent and is therefore used to symbolise sacred enclosures. Human bodies are represented by two triangles, which are animated by an extraordinary quality of vibrancy. His art encapsulates his personal philosophy that life is in constant and cyclical movement.

Herve Perdriolle, a French gallerist and curator who spent some time with the artist says, "When we look carefully at Jivya Soma Mashe's paintings, we are particularly struck by the movement, the quality of the details, lightness, and simultaneously the precision of the stroke. There is no hesitation in his works. As seen in every detail, he goes directly to the essence in both the design and composition with the natural simplicity of the ingenue. The teeming profusion of strokes, lines, and dots on the canvas vibrate with energy, constructing skilled compositions that themselves reinforce the dynamism of the whole... The themes that recur in his production-such as the daily activities of his family and the legends of the Warli-are also pretexts for a constant eulogy to movement." (Herve Perdriolle, Indian Art: Contemporary, One World, Several Worlds, Milan: 5 Continents Editions srl, 2012, p. 123)

Born in 1934 in the Dahanu district of Maharashtra, Mashe experienced a difficult childhood that led him to ensconce himself in complete silence till the age of four, using only his art as a mode of expression. Initially, the artist followed the tradition of making art on walls. He began using paper and canvas later, which presented him with smooth surfaces that impacted the evolution of his style. The ephemeral nature of wall art was transformed into a more permanent and therefore more fluid, personal style.

Mashe has received much international acclaim both in India, and internationally. In 1974, he met Bhaskar Kulkarni, an artist who brought his art to the attention of galleries in Mumbai. Mashe's first exhibition was hosted by Gallery Chemould at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, in 1975, who published the book The Warlis: Tribal Paintings & Legends a decade later. In 1989, along with Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam, he represented India at the show Magicians of the Earth at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Mashe and Shyam were also featured at the Musee du quai Branly in Paris in 2010, at an exhibition called Other Masters of India, curated by Jyotinder Jain.

Mashe continues to live and work in his hometown of Dahanu. He "is the only successful example of a person, who has been able to make a break with his tradition and yet carry it forward." (Yashodhara Dalmia, The Painted World of the Warlis: Art and Ritual of the Warli Tribes of Maharashtra, New Delhi: Lalit Kala Academy, p. 221)