ABSTRACT
The folk arts portray the visions and values of each major cultural region, and unfold the interaction between art and the physical, social and intellectual conditions in each region. While the political and economic framework of an area may change, the attitudes and values that vernacular art of a region records, and by which its cultural geography can be understood, remain vivid and eloquent. The study of folk art in India can give the necessary key for opening the door to new conceptions in cultural geography. The influence of Kashmiri landscape, dress and form dominate the paintings. The unique imagery of Lamaist Buddhism characterizes painting in the Tibetan culture area of Ladakh, Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalaya. The folk painting of the tribal region of the eastern Himalaya displays less sophisticated esthetic sense and a less complex medium of expression.
