Warli painting is an ancient tribal art form and is supposed to be one of the oldest & finest such forms in India. The original practitioners are the Warlis, a tribe that still lives in and around the north Sahyadri range in Maharashtra in places like Dahanu, Talasari, Jawhar, Palghar, Mokhada and Vikramgad in Palghar district. Warlis, one of the largest tribes in India, live just outside Mumbai but stay away from the trappings of modern culture to a great extent. The Warli painting style came to fore only in the 1970s though the art was prominent since 10th century AD and is supposed to have Neolithic origins.

Sanjay Subhash Sangle (lovingly called Sanjay Bhau by his students) is an acclaimed Warli Artist – practicing this art since childhood and his family has been engaged in this for generations. His sphere of work includes traditional Warli designs (Tarpa, Village Scene etc.), outdoor and indoor murals, objects and fabrics and much more in a very nuanced manner.


Warli culture is centered on the concept of Mother Nature and elements of nature, community life and celebrations are focal points in the art form. Veteran artist Sanjay Sangle has been shaped by his tribe's painting traditions passed down by women in his family. He captures the pulse of his community through his paintings, and also ventures to do contemporary versions in the path forged by the late Jivya Soma Mashe, the father of Warli painting in its current form.