Raja Ravi Varma

Subject – History

Context – – Book release “ FALSE ALLIES: India’s Maharajahs in the Age of Ravi Varma”

Concept –

Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter and artist. 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 sensibility and iconography.
Additionally, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure.
Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim.
Varma worked on both portrait and landscape paintings, and is considered among the first Indian artists to use oil paints.
He was part of the royal family of Travancore.
- At the age of 14, Varma was patronised by AyilyamThirunal, the then ruler of Travancore, and went on to receive training in watercolours from Ramaswamy Naidu, the royal painter.
Famous works: Damayanti Talking to a Swan, Shakuntala Looking for Dushyanta, Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair, and Shantanu and Matsyagandha.