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Who is Raja Ravi Varma?
Ravi Varma was born at Kilimanoor within the Ernst while Travancore state of present-day Kerala, and was very closely associated with its royalty. He was born on April 29 and was famed as Raja Ravi Varma across the globe. He will always be remembered for giving Indians their western, classical representations of Hindu gods and goddesses. At an early age of seven, Varma showed an intense interest in drawing and would draw on the walls at his palace, where he lived with the assistance of charcoal. His uncle noticed the younger Varma’s talent and gave him lessons in painting.
Varma learned oil painting from British painter Theodore Jensen. He worked for other patrons too like Gaekwad of Baroda. His mother was a writer and author of some talent, and her work Annapurna Swayamvaram was printed by Varma when her death. Ravi Varma’s father was a scholar of Indo-Aryan and writing. Ravi Varma had 2 siblings, a sister named Mangala Bayi and a brother named Raja Varma. The last-named was additionally a painter and worked closely with Ravi Varma all his life.
Ravi is taken into account among the primary Indian artist to use oil paints. He worked on both portrait and landscape paintings. He had done exceptionally great work for Hindu mythological figures but he also made portraits for Indians further as Europeans. He continues to be thought tobe the foremost important representative of the Europeanized school of painting in India. Varma pleased the royals and therefore the people by his ease and perfections, it had been the rationale the people’s inclination towards him.
Revolutionary Indian Artist
He is referred to as “The Father of contemporary Indian Art“. He was an exceptionally great artist that our country would ever have. He also attained fame and recognition for portraying scenes from epics of the Mahabharat and Ramayana.
Varma wandered everywhere in India and sketched what he saw, from his native state to Lahore.
His creations weren’t replicas of what existed, but it was his take how he observed the planet through his naked eyes. Raja Harishchandra, the primary full-length pic supported the legend of Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke was greatly inspired by the fashion of Raja Ravi Varma making of films.
His work was like magic for the globe, he just changed the way of people’s insight for the planet and gave a brand-new direction for the approaching generation. Artists like him are born in one in 100 years, who just through their duty period the society forever permanently. Through his work, he democratized art.
He won the Vienna exposition within the west in 1873. He was also awarded three gold medals in World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. Four movies are documented supported Ravi Varma’s life.
In 1873, the painting of Nair Lady adorning her hair won the Governor’s prize when it had been shown within the Madras Presidency. In 1904, the British colonial government awarded Varma with the Kaiser-I-Hind decoration. In 2013, a crater on Mercury was named in his honor. These are just some of his golden achievements.
Indian artist who helped Indians bring their Gods home
Raja Ravi Varma helped Indians bring their gods home and gave birth to affordable sacred images that may be found in puja rooms, public spaces, and homes.
He created the best and simplest fusion of Indian and Modern art which is commendable. His work doesn’t have dimensions or restrictions. He breaks all stereotypes and made his paintings a mass product in the market. He broke the idea that paintings and art is closed between walls. If your work is unique and your art is beautiful, you should showcase it around the world which increases the reach and influence as an artist and public figure.
Damayanti rebuke Swan, Shakuntala trying to find Dushyanta, Nair lady adorning her hair, Shantanu and Matsyagandha are a number of his influential works.
Thinking of the Goddess Laxmi. The image that’s likely to come back to mind is of a radiant goddess floating on a lotus fully bloom.
Think about Saraswati and you’re likely to picture an erudite goddess playing the veena.
Ravi portrays the supreme deity Lord Vishnu with his consorts Maya and Laxmi. They all are sitting on the coiled throne built by the five-headed snake-king Shesha. They all are floating over the ocean of matter and time.
The supreme deity, one among the holy trinity in Hinduism, Lord Shiva is depicted with Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesh sitting on a golden throne over the mountains of Kailash.
Varma portrays the story of Goddess Ganga’s declines from heaven on to earth. Lord Shiva is preparing to minimize the violent fall of river Ganga by reducing her speed with his rumpled hair.
In his artwork, Ravi portrays Kali as a dark-skinned woman with four hands. She’s wearing a garland of severed heads and a skirt made of detached hands. She is holding a sword in one arm and in other arm she is holding a bowl to collect the dripping blood from the separated head.
She’s standing over her consort Lord Shiva who is lying calmy beneath her. These images are implanted in our memory for ages and that we would thank Varma for it.
He gave a new curve to modern art in India. He also painted a heartthrob painting of his daughter and grandson looking towards an approaching father. This painting was named “There Comes Papa ”, and it was one of his most loved works. It was one of the 10 paintings of his which were sent to Chicago in an international exhibition.
However, Varma’s art wasn’t appreciated by everybody. Some find him guilty of being too commercial and also accused him of enjoying the vanity of wealth and fame. Pages of a Mind may be a collection of essays that probes into this relevance of Varma, the patronage he enjoyed, his mass appeal, and the way he continues to carry a special power over the Indian imagination.
Perched somewhere between naturalism and idealism, Ravi Varma’s style does have an undeniable correlation with the colonial conservatory characteristics. Varma broke the mold to be an artist. He represented the Indian aesthetic in such a way that it changed the visual language of the country forever.
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Author at Factsberry. Love to talk about social issues around me, and want to give my small participation in the change.