AROUND THE GREAT EPIC OF MAHABHARATA AND RAMAYANA – Raja Ravi Varma: traveling throughout India, in search of subjects

RAJA RAVI VARMA 1/4 – Most of his paintings, include pictures of mythological characters, from the epics and tales from religious texts and manuscripts. He was a renowned Indian painter, who greatly influenced the future generations of Indian painters. He is one of the few painters who have managed to accomplish a unison of the Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art. His lithographs increased the involvement of common people.

RAJA RAVI VARMA 2/4 – He was born in Kilimanoor (a small town of Kerala). His inborn talent, started showing at a very tender age. His parents sent him to study under patronage, when he was 14 years old, receiving tutelage from Rama Swamy Naidu and Theodor Jenson. He is known for his amazing paintings, which revolve mainly around the great epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. His representations of Hindu gods and goddesses (and characters in the epics and the Puranas), reflected his absorption in Indian culture.

RAJA RAVI VARMA 3/4 – He often modelled Hindu Goddesses on South Indian women, whom he considered beautiful. His paintings of beautiful sari clad women, have also received recognition in the west. His paintings can be classified into three categories: portraits, portrait-based compositions and theatrical compositions based on myths and legends. He also received international recognition in 1873, when he won the first prize for his paintings at the Vienna Art Exhibition. When India was looking for inspiration to free itself from British rule, his oil paintings of India’s past became highly popular.

RAJA RAVI VARMA 4/4 – He had travelled throughout India in search of subjects. His popularity soared so high that his paintings were sent to World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. In 1894, with the aim to bring Indians closer to art, he started a lithography printing press (called the Ravi Varma Pictures Depot) for mass production of his paintings. His press was the largest and most innovative press in India at that time. A crater on Mercury, was named in the honor of this greater Indian painter.

To pursue this issue, you can also read:

http://meetingbenches.com/2016/11/epically-painting/

http://meetingbenches.com/2016/11/raja-ravi-varma-18481906-indian-painter-observig-epics-tales-religious-texts-manuscripts/