Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma (
1848-
1906) was an
Indian
painter who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the
epics of the
Mahabharata and
Ramayana. His paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European
academic art.
Raja Ravi Varma is most remembered for his paintings of beautiful
sari clad women, who were portrayed as very shapely and graceful. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873. After a successful career as a painter, Raja Ravi Varma died in (
1906) at the age of 58. He is generally considered as one among the greatest painters in
the history of Indian art.
|
Ravi Varma, Woman Playing the Veena |
Ravi Varma was born to Umamba Thampuratti and Neelakandan Bhattathiripad in the royal
palace of
Kilimanoor, which is situated 25 miles from
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), in
Kerala,
India. Ravi Varma showed talent at a young age. He got the patronage of Ayilyam Thirunal
Maharaja of
Travancore when he was 14 years of age, and was taught by the palace painter Rama Swamy Naidu. He was later taught oil painting by a British painter, Theodor Jenson. The power and forceful expression of European
painting fascinated Ravi Varma, which came across to him as strikingly contrasting to stylized
Indian artwork.
|
One of few landscapes painted by Raja Ravi Varma |
Raja Ravi Varma came to widespread acclaim after he won an award for an exhibition of his paintings at
Vienna in
1873 (Citation required). He travelled throughout
India in search of subjects. He often modeled
Hindu Goddesses on
South Indian women, whom he considered beautiful. Ravi Varma is particularly noted for his paintings depicting episodes from the story of
Dushyanta and
Shakuntala, and
Nala and
Damayanti, from the Mahabharata. Ravi Varma's representation of
mythological characters has become a part of the Indian imagination of the epics. He is often criticized for being too showy and sentimental in his style. However his work remains very popular in India.
The following is a list of the prominent works of Ravi Varma.
|
Ravi Varma, Shakuntala, a character in the epic Mahabharatha |
*
Village Belle*
Lady Lost in Thought*
Damayanti Talking to a Swan*
The Orchestra*
Arjuna and Subhadra*
Lady with Fruit*
The Heartbroken*
Swarbat Player*
Shakuntala*
Lord Krishna as Ambassador*
Jatayu, a bird devotee of Lord Rama is mauled by Rawana*
Victory of Meghanada*
A Family of Beggars*
A Lady Playing Swarbat*
Lady Giving Alms at the Temple*
Lord Rama Conquers Varuna*
Romancing Couple*
Draupadi Dreading to Meet Kichaka*
Shantanu and Matsyagandha*
Shakuntala Composing a Love Letter to King Dushyanta*
Girl in Sage Kanwa's Hermitage (Rishi-Kanya)Raja Ravi Varma's
philosophical outlook is not known or documented, especially his understanding of
Western Art forms, though it should be acknowledged that he received formal and systematic training. Those who seek to critically examine his contribution are severely impaired in their project by the absence of any literature written by him (one would require an interpretation of the diary maintained by his brother - also his co-worker and assistant.)
["Raja Ravi Varma: Portrait of an Artist". May 05, 2006Oxford University Press. ] |
Ravi Varma's There comes Papa: Lady with Child |
Raja Ravi Varma is often criticised for the fact that his paintings overshadowed traditional Indian art forms because of their widespread reproduction as
oleographs, flooding Indian culture with his version of Indian myths, portrayed with a rather static realism. According to Dasgupta, by dispensing with stylisation in favour of stiff academicism, Ravi Varma can be considered as having in one stroke undermined traditional Indian art, which was both dynamic and rich in form and content. One can find an illustration of this argument in the figures of
Durga in West Bengal or in the folk form of
Madhubani Paintings. In comparison,
Ravi Varma's approach clearly lacks this dynamism of expression. Moreover, his approach of frontality has severe limitations in terms of space and movement. By rejecting the traditional models of representation (for example, the Chitrasutra, the treatise on art outlined in Vishnudharmottara Purana), he has reduced mythic heroes to the level of ordinary humans, a form that has been copied in many depictions of mythic history in other media such as cinema and television.
Dadasaheb Phalke, considered the father of Indian cinema, is thought to have been influenced by Ravi Varma's static realism.
Considering his vast contribution to
Indian art, the Government of Kerala has instituted an award called
Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram, which is awarded every year to people who show excellence in the field of art and culture. Awardees include:
* K G Subramanian (
2001)
* M V Devan (
2002)
* A Ramachandran (
2003)
* Vasudevan Namboodiri (
2004).
* Kanai Kunhiraman (
2005)
* V.S.Valliathan[2006]A college dedicated to
fine arts was also consituted in his honour at
Mavelikara,
Kerala.
*
Indian art*
Indian mythology*
Raja Ravi Varma's Paintings Complete collection of oil paintings by Ravi Varma
*
Ravi Varma's Paintings*
Brief biography
