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If only one painter of India is to be chosen for the display of his
artworks, he would surely be Raja Ravi Varma. He infused the sense of modernity
into the Indian art of Painting.
Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906 AD) got recognition for his masterly
painted canvases of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. His subjects were popular
mythological scenes from Hindu epics. There are two main epics in the Hindu religion: one is Mahabharata and another is Ramayana. The
theme of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings always revolved around two subjects: paintings of women and the mythological stories from the epics. He is believed to be the initiator of Modern Indian paintings
among the Indian painters.
On seeing his paintings, we would know how wealthy are his decorative
details. We would be fascinated by seeing how he painted the gorgeous garments the Indian women put on in
ancient and medieval India. The collection of paintings is a treasure of
Indian art, along with the great miniature paintings depicted in Hamzanama, which was sponsored by Mughal Emperor Akbar.
The depiction of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and the mythological stories were
his recurring themes. He executed his painting skills in epic stories and made the characters alive. In 1873, in recognition of his skill, he won the First Prize at the
Madras Painting Exhibition. But his popularity got the acknowledgement of the
whole world when he received the prize at the Vienna Exhibition in
1873. He died in 1906 at the age of 58. Raja Ravi Varma is considered one of the
greatest painters in the history of Indian art.
The importance of recovering the customs and
the institution of the past thus inaugurating the archaeological approach to
art. -- Raja Ravi Varma
The Artist of Mythological Scenes: Modest in behaviour, a perfect religious follower, Raja Ravi Varma was a man of traditions. The logical implication of this could be that 'he would be an artist choosing mythological subjects'. He did the same. He did it extraordinarily. He executed an infusion of the traditional style of Indian painting with modern dimensions of European art.
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Raja Ravi Varma paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the masterly
adept combination of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic
art. He took the 'modesty of a woman' as one of the subjects and he was the
first Indian artist to depict the grace and modesty of women so beautifully. No physical attractions; no seductive approach. He just painted the modesty.
Raja Ravi Varma first took lessons in watercolour painting. He did it under the
guidance of another master painter. Thereafter he had become a disciple of one British
artist who was a painter working in oil colours. After starting to work in oil, he always painted his canvases by using oil colours.
Painting Analised: He extensively used the European style of
painting. That came to his help. Look at the painting Princess Damayanti Talking with
Royal Swan, shown here. It is based on one of the stories of Ramayana. We can
see the sharp lining of the figures depicted: the lady and the swan. about the
painting skill, the use of bright colours for the figures and subdued for the
background, make the figures looking three- dimensional. Remember his learning
about the European style of painting.
The painting shown here displays how the master artist had painted
the modesty of women through the colours and his masterly brush
strokes. Each painting shows one or another woman-specific emotion
expertly executed by Raja Ravi Varma.
The British administrator Edgar Thurston had sufficiently promoted the art
of Raja Ravi Varma. Raja Ravi Varma received huge acclaim when he got an
award for an exhibition of his paintings in Vienna. It was the year 1873. Raja
Ravi Varma's paintings were also exhibited in well-acclaimed exhibitions in
the world elsewhere, too. One of such despatches of Raja's artwork was sent to
the World's Columbian Exhibition held in Chicago in 1893. Here he was
facilitated by three gold medals.
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The Artist: Raja Ravi Varma was born in an aristocratic family. His was a Maharaja family, in the
city of Travancore. He was a Hindu by birth. He had painted several paintings
depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses
However, he faced several social stigmas-related difficulties. It was tough for him to search for appropriate models for his
paintings. There was one solace. Being from a royal family, he managed the presence of
several attractive women to work for him as models for his paintings. He
generally painted the Goddesses from the great mythological stories of
Ramayana and other Hindu scriptures.
The Art: The depiction of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and other characters of the Indian
mythological stories was Ravi Varma's preferred subject. He executed his
painting skill through the epic stories and their well-known characters like Lord Rama, Sita, and Ravana.
If only one painter from India is to be chosen for the display of his work, he would surely be Raja Ravi Varma. Before he died in 1906 at the age of 58, he had earned enough popularity to make him one of the greatest painters in the history of Indian art.
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The paintings shown here display how the master artist displayed the modesty of women through the colours and his masterly brush strokes. The postures of the women models were also traditional. Each painting shows one or another woman-specific emotion, expertly executed by Raja Ravi Varma. He first took lessons in watercolour. After that, he took formal training and became a disciple of a British oil painter.
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