“RAJA RAVI VARMA”: The Maestro of Indian Artistry and Culture

Raja Ravi Varma was one of the great Indian artists. he was an expert in making
paintings from the ancient mythological stories like Mahabharata and
Ramayana. Ravi Varma is one of the few painters who was excellent in making
Indian art with European techniques.  he will be always remembered as one of
the most if not the most prominent Indian painters who took Indian art at the
global stage. he was very simple and down to earth person.
More often than not, Varma’s paintings highlighted the beauty of South Indian
women who were admired by all. His portrayal of Hindu Gods and Goddesses
became worship material for many people. when many people from schedule
caste were not allowed in temples at that time they worship God and Goddess
through Ravi Varma’s paintings. He also improved the artistic knowledge and
spread the importance of art among Indian people. He achieved this by making
affordable lithographs, which were accessible even to the poor. Alternatively, this
also made him a household name and Raja Ravi Varma soon captured the hearts
of all. Recognizing his feat, Viceroy Lord Curzon honoured him with the Kaiser-i-
Hind Gold Medal for his service in the furtherance of public interest.
Famous Paintings of Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma produced many masterpieces of art during his life. Let’s see
some gems produced by this lovely artist at his time and a gift to Indian culture.

Note: source from Wikipedia.

• A Family of Beggars–Family of beggars painting represented the unevencondition of the Indian economy where rich become richer and poorpeople not getting any opportunity in their life.
•  A Lady Playing Swarbat—Just like many of his paintings, this too wasalso after a South Indian woman.
• Arjuna and Subhadra – As we all know Raja Ravi Varma was alsoinfluenced with Mahabharata and Ramayana he made a painting which narrates a story from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
• Damayanti Talking to a Swan – something made This epic scene look fabulous and eye-catching too from Mahabharata. 
• Draupadi Dreading to meet Kichaka – Once again, this picturenarrates a story from Mahabharata.
• Jatayu (a bird devotee of Lord Rama) –This painting was perhaps one of the most featured works of Raja Ravi Varma. The picture narrates the story of Jatayu who gives up its life after fighting the mighty villain Ravana from Ramayanam Ravi Varma made it so beautiful once you see the image you can get whole story and situation from that.
• A random pic of a lady seating and lost in her thoughts amazingly made a painting of a lady like a south Indian woman.
• Lady with Fruit – Probably modelled after Ravi Varma’s mistress, this painting gives you the impression it was one of Varma’s personal favourite.
• Lord Krishna as Ambassador – This is one of those painting that depicted a Hindu deity.
• Lord Rama Conquers Varuna – After ‘Jatayu’ this is probably the most famous among the ones that narrate the story of Ramayanam.
• Nair Woman – As the name suggests, this painting portrays a Malayali woman in all her glory.
• Romancing Couple – This painting goes on to show that Raja Ravi Varma was not a painter who limited himself to depicting only gods and goddesses.
• Shakuntala – This painting depicts the legendary woman Shakuntala who marries Dushyanta. The couple later gave birth to Bharata after whom ancient India was named.
• Shakuntala Composing a Love Letter to King Dushyanta – This depicts the love story of Shakuntala and King Dushyanta.
• Shantanu and Matsyagandha – This story from Mahabharata depicts the interaction between Shantanu and Matsyagandha.
• The Heartbroken – This painting depicts a South Indian woman who looks extremely disappointed. 
• The Orchestra – This depicts a band of musicians from South India.
• Victory of Maghanada (Indrajit) – This painting depicts the triumph of Lanka prince Indrajit over Indra Loka. The story is mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana.  

Criticism :

They criticized Raja Ravi Varma for being too showy in his paintings. They also
condemn his paintings for overshadowing traditional Indian art forms,
especially the ones depicting Hindu gods and goddesses. They say Raja Ravi
Varma’s approach to lack the dynamism of expression seen in the traditional
paintings. Critics have also criticized him for modelling goddesses after
prostitutes, saying that his representation of deities has reduced them to the
level of mortals. He was also criticized for depicting Indian women, especially
women from Hindu mythologies with pale skin. It was always the lower-class
women who took the honour of flaunting dark skin in his paintings. 

Love him or hate but it is 100% true that Raja Ravi Varma was a true gem and
superb artist who was never afraid of portraying his thought on canvas with lovely
colour and beautiful Indian faces.