Simple Is Beautiful

It’s amazing how the simplest of things can be appealing. And this can be seen in almost any art form, painting included.

The recent coke ad, as in the one that came out for Diwali, is a perfect example.

 It uses what is known as the Warli painting style. It is believed to have originated in 2500 or 3000 BCE by the Warli people of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

This manner of painting uses rudimentary shapes: circles, triangles, and squares. I found interesting facts regarding this on Wikipedia :-)

“The circle and triangle come from their observation of nature, the circle representing the sun and the moon, the triangle derived from mountains and pointed trees. Only the square seems to obey a different logic and seems to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a piece of land.”

Warli paintings can be seen almost everywhere. Its probably because it can be used to give a traditional and/or modern feel.

It can add a rural feel as my parents and I found out when we painted some Warli designs around our doorway.

It adds a modern feel as can be seen in this painting:

What makes Warli paintings so beautiful is its simplicity. When clustered together, or containing too many details however, it can be displeasing to the eyes. Like in this one:

I would prefer something along the lines of this:

 After all, as da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”