RAJA
RAVI
VARMA
Ravi Varma was born on 29th
April 1848 and passed away on
2nd October1906. He was born
in Kilimanoor, Travancore which
is present day Kerala. He is
considered among the greatest
painters in the history of Indian
Art.
His works are one of the best
examples of the fusion of
European academic art with a
purely Indian quality and
iconography.
He used oil and water color
technique of painting. His
paintings involved employing
the European style with use of
realism and perspective.
The use of light on skin and tonal
eff ects added lifelike quality to
them. He made art aff ordable by
converting his paintings into
Lithographs and making it
available to the public. This made
his works reach each Indian house
as religious imagery.
Further more his religious
depictions of Hindu deities
and works from Indian Epics
such as Mahabharata &
Ramayana and puranas
received profound acclaim.
He learned the basics of
painting in Madurai. Later ,he
was trained in water painting by
Rama Swami Naidu and in Oil
Painting by Dutch portrait artist
Theodore Jenson.
On the advice of the then Dewan (Prime
Minister) of Travancore, T Madhava Rao,
Ravi Varma started a lithographic printing
press in Ghatkopar, Mumbai in 1894
andlater shifted it to Malavi near
Lonavala, Maharashtra in1899. The
Oleographs produced by the press were
mostly of Hindu gods and goddesses in
scenes adapted mainly from the
Mahabharata, Ramayana the Puranas.
These oleographs were very popular
and continued to be printed in
thousands form any years ,even
after the 1906 death of Ravi Varma.
The Ravi Varma‟s press was the
largest and most innovative press in
India at that time.
He was awarded with Kaisar – I –
Hind Gold medal. A college
dedicated to Fine Arts was also
constituted in his honor at
Mavelikara, Kerala. Raja Ravi Varma
High at Kilimanoor was named after
him and there are many cultural
organizations throughout India
bearing his name.
Considering his vast
contribution to Indian
Art, the Government of
Kerala has instituted an
award called Raja Ravi
Verma Puraskaram, which
is awarded every year to
people who show
excellence in the fi eld of
art and culture.
In 2013,the crater Varmaon Mercury was named in his honor.
On his 65th death anniversary,
Indian Post issued a 24
commemorative postal stamp
depicting Ravi Varma and his
famous painting 'Damayanti and
Swan'.
JATAYU VADH
(1895)
Ravana has abducted Sita Mata and is carrying
her off to Lanka. As he travels towards his
kingdom, the good vulture Jatayu notices the
abduction and tries to stop Ravana. The
powerful bird fights Ravana. Through this
painting, Raja Ravi Varma captures the
moment of aerial combat where Ravana chops
off Jatayu’s wing. Sita cringes at the sight of
Jatayu being dismembered and covers her
eyes in fright.
This painting depicts 11 Indian women
who appear to be in the midst of an
elaborate musical performance. Some sit,
others stand. Some hold instruments,
others seem to listen. We can see that
R.R. Varma shows each woman wearing
different types of dresses and ornaments
associated with different regions or
communities in India. Each of the women
in this painting not only symbolizes the
geographic and cultural diversity of India,
but also appear to represent idealized
forms of femininity and beauty.
Arjun and Subhadra
Shakuntala
Rama conquers Varuna
Ladies in Moon light
Goddess Saraswati
Hamsa
Damayanti
Fill in the Blank Questions:
[Link] Ravi Varma was born on _______ in Kilimanoor, Travancore.
(Answer: 29th April 1848)
[Link] Varma fused European academic art with Indian _______ and
_______.(Answer: quality, iconography)
[Link] used _______ and _______ techniques of painting in his works.
(Answer: oil, watercolor)
[Link] Varma's lithographic printing press was initially established
in _______ and later moved to _______.(Answer: Ghatkopar,
Mumbai; Malavi near Lonavala, Maharashtra)
5.A crater on _______ was named Varma in his honor in 2013.
(Answer: Mercury)
True or False Questions:
[Link] Varma was awarded the Kaisar-I-Hind Gold Medal for his
contributions.(Answer: True)
[Link] Varma learned oil painting from Rama Swami Naidu.
(Answer: False)
[Link] lithographs made religious imagery accessible to the
common public.(Answer: True)
[Link] Ravi Varma Press stopped printing oleographs
immediately after his death in 1906.(Answer: False)
[Link] Varma was trained in watercolor painting by Theodore
Jenson.(Answer: False)
One-Sentence Questions:
[Link] was Raja Ravi Varma born? (Answer: He was born in Kilimanoor,
Travancore, present-day Kerala.)
[Link] medal was awarded to Raja Ravi Varma for his contributions to
art?(Answer: Kaisar-I-Hind Gold Medal.)
[Link] type of press did Ravi Varma establish in 1894, and where was it
initially located? (Answer: He established a lithographic printing press in
Ghatkopar, Mumbai.)
[Link] two Indian epics heavily influenced Ravi Varma's paintings?
(Answer: Mahabharata and Ramayana.)
[Link] notable technique did Ravi Varma employ to make his paintings
more lifelike? (Answer: He used realism, perspective, and tonal effects
to add lifelike quality to his paintings.)
Thank
You!