Raja Ravi Varma:
The first true copy of the painting Indulekha by Raja Ravi Varma will be unveiled at the Kilimanoor Palace, Kerala.
- Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered one of the greatest painters in the history of Indian art.
- He was born as Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran of Kilimanoor palace, in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (Thiruvithankur) in Kerala.
- He is known for his amazing paintings, which revolve mainly around the Puranas (ancient mythological stories) and the great Indian epics, the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
- In addition to incidents in Hindu mythology, Varma painted many portraits of both Indians and British in India.
- His most famous works include Damayanti Talking to a Swan, Shakuntala Looking for Dushyanta, Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair and Shantanu and Matsyagandha.
- Before Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings, the paintings of Indian artists were greatly influenced by the Persian and Mughal schools.
- Varma was the first Indian to use Western techniques of perspective and composition and to adapt them to Indian subjects, styles and themes.
- His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography.
- He was one of the first Indian artists to use oil paints and to master the art of lithographic reproduction of his work.
- 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.
- His paintings often depicted mythological characters and Indian royalty in a realistic style, challenging traditional artistic norms.
