Abstract forms of tribal painting in India refer to a synthesis of geometrical elements. However, there is no model in nature and pre-existing visual images of this form. There are many tends that are followed in the abstract decoration of huts. In most of the road side huts or in the interiors, the abstract decoration tends towards six trends.
The six trends followed in abstract form of painting are as follows:
* In the lower portion of the front wall tribals had made white and red ochre vertical stripes on walls and on platform in front of the house. At some places yellow ochre was used. The stripes were alternately red and white. In some places these were tilted.
* The other abstract form of painting was related to the space filling. Generally from the base of the hut they divided the colour of the wall, by a straight horizontal line, into the upper and lower parts. Upper part was white and the lower part generally in red or in yellow ochre. Some times the centre line was not straight, but was making rectangular or square graph like zigzags. This division of space is the break in the monotony from the compositional point of view. It gives the effect of weight at the base.
* In the third type the red or yellow ochre colour was applied in the upper part of the wall. It extends from the base of the ceiling upon the wall to one or two feet downwards on the wall. The centre line was either straight or zigzag. The lower portion was in white or in lighter colours. In some of the upper decorations and paintings, there were rectangular, triangular patterns on the wall where the beam was resting on the wall. There were drawn some lines, around a semi-circular or rectangular forms, making some different patterns.
* The hand print on the wall is a common way of decoration among the tribals. There are two types of compositions of hand prints on wall- prints in a group marked on one or both the sides of the door and hand prints that are marked in a row on one or both the sides of the door.
* The corner of the front wall is the other place of decoration is on both. A row of triangles are arranged vertically from top to base. These triangles can be arranged in straight rows covering the door from three or four sides of front entrance. Apart from this there is a tendency to make triangles on both the sides of the door in some sequence.
* Tribals also take interest in decorating the entrance path on court yard in front of their huts. Generally it is decorated in geometrical patterns such as squares and rectangles.
The woman artist plans the area of the land in front of the court yard into a big square frame and surfaces it with clay and cow dung. This area is raised into a platform about half feet higher than the level of the earth. This decoration is done in red ochre and white clay. The whole square is covered with thick white border line. The inner square is again divided with a white cross in the centre. Sometimes small squares are made n all the four corners. The middle portions of square are covered with red ochre.
The paintings on the wall are made in dark colours on light background. In most of the cases it is only filling of space with flat bold colour. It is more related with the architectural decoration of hut. This decoration is limited to two or three colours like red ochre, yellow ochre and white clay. These types of wall and floor paintings are common in the road side villages.
