Raja Ravi Varma’s Paintings- Kerala’s Treasures
Posted on July 29, 2008 in Art & Culture by Gitanjali
Ravi Varma’s Early Years
In Kerala, the name Raja Ravi Varma stands almost synonymous to painting. Raja Ravi Varma, the legendary prince painter, was born in 1848 into the Kilimanoor palace to Umamba Thampuratti and Neelakantan Bhattathirippad.
A child prodigy, he first showed signs of talent when he started painting on the palace walls with charcoal. He first formally studied painting (water colour) under Rama Swamy Naidu. Ravi Varma then proceeded to master the art of oil painting from the British painter, Theodor Jenson.
The Theme of His Paintings
Most of his paintings are based on the Hindu mythology, where he depicts excerpts of a particular story. For instance, Jatayu, the mythical vulture tries to save Sita (lord Rama’s wife) from the clutches of Ravana in one of his paintings.
Famous Paintings
One can’t just help noticing the enchanting beauty of the women in Ravi Varma’s creations. Did celestial dancers appear before him while he painted? Or did the Goddesses stop by to be captured into his portraits? One can’t stop wondering. Ravi Varma’s Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi are seen in the altars of most homes in Kerala.
His other works include those involving a woman with a child, be it an ordinary housewife with her baby or Yashodha with Baby Krishna; Damayanti talking to a swan; Sakuntala, Romantic couple, Lady playing Swarbat, Lady lost in thought; Milkmaid; and Orchestra.
In 1873 Raja Ravi Varma won the First Prize at the Madras Painting Exhibition. He became a world famous Indian painter after winning in 1873 Vienna Exhibition.
Criticisms against the Painter
Criticism in art has almost come to be seen as the sign of greatness of the artiste. And Raja Ravi Varma was no different in this respect. Early critics were locals themselves who declared his paintings were not exactly ‘Indian’, since he used hues and oils found only in Western art in those days. What actually did was serve Indian art to a much wider horizon.
Another (more technical) criticism levelled against the prince painter is that his approach of frontality in his paintings imposes severe limitations in terms of movement and space. Nevertheless, Ravi Varma’s paintings are stilled looked at with a sense of awe by artists and laymen around the globe.
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