Who is Raja Ravi Varma?
Raja Ravi Varma is considered a painter whose work represented a turning point in Indian painting. His work is a fusion of Indian aesthetics with techniques from the West. He is also notable as he produced affordable lithographs of his work, ensuring his art had a broader outreach for people to own and appreciate.
How did he become an artist?
Born into the princely state of Travancore in 1848, his uncle recognised his talent at an early age and started to teach him the basics of drawing and painting. He moved into the Travancore Palace to study under the resident artist who taught him to paint with watercolour. Subsequently, a British painter introduced him to oil painting.
His Work
Raja Ravi Varma’s art often modelled Hindu Goddesses or Indian women. Before him, Indian paintings depicted flat subjects, with no depth. Inspired by the masters of the Italian renaissance, he glorified the body, and like the Dutch masters, he painted fabrics and materials with striking colour contrasts.
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