AU01 – Saura Art for Beginners, Part 1

Mrs. Asmita Umarye is a passionate Indian Folk Artist. She has designed this beautiful Saura Art course for art enthusiasts, from all over the world.

Saura Paintings were First Studied by the Famous anthropologist Verrier Elwin. Saura Painting is a style of wall mural Paintings Associated with the Saura Tribals state of Odisha in India.

This Painting’s also called ikons is visually similar to warli paintings and holds religious significance for the Sauras.

The Sauras is one of India’s oldest tribes, inhabiting the southern part of Odisha districts of Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, and Koraput. With a history that has been mentioned in Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Sauras are known for their distinct tribal culture and their art.

A tribe that is deeply connected to nature, their art on the surface seems to be a simplistic depiction of everyday village life.. for Sauras, whose language does not have a script, their art is a record of their history, their philosophy, and religious practices.

Suras are known as Idital and are made during special occasions like harvest, childbirth, marriage, etc, during which they are also worshipped. At a glance Suara seems to be the identical twin of another, perhaps better known tribal artform Warli, made similar geometrical shapes, and in similar shades of eathern colours, the two artforms are often indistinguishable.

There are subtle differences between the two, however, from the composition of the forms to the pattern in which they are placed, which make each artform distinct!

The Saura figures are less angular than warli, The Saura forms are also larger and more elongated than the warli Art.. with no physical differentiation between male and female shapes. another distinct characteristic of Suara Art is the Fishnet Approach. In Saura Art, we need to draw the borders first.