Painting Everything in the World

Harsingh Hamir, Gita Wolf

People from the Rathwa tribe in Gujarat create a ritual wall painting as a way of worshipping their gods Pithora and Pithori, depicted as horses. The creation of Pithora paintings is considered a form of worship, to keep away ill-luck and invite good fortune. To paint is to mirror — and honour — all that has been created in the universe. This sophisticated conception of the transformative power of art has been rendered into a deceptively simple children’s tale by Rathwa artist Harsingh Hamir.

Read a blog post by Gita Wolf – Pithora Painting and the Coming of Better Times – that explores the work of artists from the indigenous Rathwa tribe from Gujarat and their belief that creating a particular painting—called Pithora—banishes adversity and brings about a change in fortune.