Raja Ravi Varma



Raja Ravi Varma (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) from the princely state of Travancore (presently in Kerala). He was widely acclaimed following his winning an award for an exhibition of his paintings at Vienna in 1873. Though his style of painting was described as too showy and sentimental, his paintings are widely popular in India. A large number of his lovely paintings are in the Laxmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara. He has been hailed as one of the “greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His paintings achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Quotes

 * Who knows if these very pictures, now painted for maharajas, will not find their way to the museums one day.
 * Quoted in


 * ...the importance of recovering the customs and the institutions of the past thus inaugurating the archaeological approach to  art
 * Varma spoke on the occasion of the exhibition of his painting of the Sabine Woman who were supposed to have inspired him.

Quotes about Varma

 * She quoted HamsDamyanti. According to her it is this painting that Ravi Varma reached the pinnacle of his art in depicting Maharashtra people}Maharashtrian Beauty. Ravi Varma’s talent lay in the mixing of colours and the effect he got when he painted drapery, jewelry and royal clothes. Uma mentions two other paintings of Rani Lakshmibai and princess Tarabai- both of which show Ravi Varma’s remarkable talent in portraiture. She also made a special reference to the painting of Krishna and mother displayed in Mysore Palace. Uma Varma believes Ravi Varma’s unique talent lay in the fact that no one has yet been able to make an exact replica of hi paintings. She has seen many European Masters copied perfectly but both Uma varma and her daughter Radhika say that they are yet to see painting, which could be an exact  copy of Ravi Varma’s paintings.
 * Statement by his wife Uma Varma on his best painting talent as told to Ranjit Desai in his novel on Raja Ravi Varma


 * The more I saw, the more I admired the Master's genius — his uncanny ability, through the magic of his brush to depict mood, emotion and atmosphere and to encapsulate the whole story in the selected scene. I felt even then that a state of the art folio on his works needed to be brought out. Only, I never imagined that it was I who would eventually be doing it.
 * Parasram Mangharam, author of Raja Ravi Varma, The Painter Prince, in the Deccan Herald (26 October 2003)


 * Ravi Varma is not only among India's greatest artists, but also a great patriot. His depiction of the beauty of the Indian woman is unequalled in Indian art....When the art gallery of Mysore was under renovation, I got an opportunity to photograph them and my joy knew no bounds! Over the years I got to see many a fine-print reproductions of Ravi Varma's paintings and have tried to photograph the expression of his subjects.


 * He has become an Indian Kilroy. No matter where you look - whether in a book on the history of Indian art or one on advertising and printing in India or even something like popular taste and the making of the Indian national ethos - Raja Ravi Varma is there.


 * This painting [By Varma] takes the view of the 18th century politics …looking at [it] one immediately thinks of the whole …of the great warrior. So he must be congratulated
 * Remark by Tilak on Ravi Varma’s painting of Shivaji  at the Shivaji Festivals held in Maharashtra..