Source: TOI
Subject: Art and Culture
Context: Raja Ravi Varma’s painting ‘Yashoda and Krishna’ has become the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever sold at auction, fetching a record-shattering ₹167.2 crore.
About Raja Ravi Varma:
Who He Was?
- Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was a celebrated Indian painter and artist, widely considered the father of modern Indian art. He is renowned for achieving a unique fusion of European academic techniques with purely Indian sensibilities and subjects.
Early Days:
- Birth: Born in 1848 into an aristocratic family in the princely state of Travancore (present-day Kerala).
- Training: He mastered the medium of oil painting and European realism, which were unconventional for Indian artists at the time.
Contribution to Indian Art:
- Fusion of Styles: He integrated European oil painting techniques (such as perspective and chiaroscuro) with Indian mythological and social themes.
- Mass Production: In 1894, he established a lithographic press to mass-produce his paintings as affordable oleographs.
- Democratization of Art: By creating these prints, he brought high-quality art and Hindu iconography into the homes of ordinary Indians for the first time, breaking the monopoly of the elite on sacred imagery.
- Standardizing Deities: His depictions of Hindu gods and goddesses were so influential that they still shape the popular visual consciousness of deities in India today.
Important Paintings:
- Yashoda and Krishna: A tender portrait of maternal love painted in the 1890s, recently sold for a record price.
- Shakuntala: A famous depiction of the character from the Mahabharata looking back for Dushyanta.
- Saraswati & Lakshmi: His iconic representations of the goddesses of knowledge and wealth became the standard for calendar art.
- Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair: Showcasing his skill in portraiture and capturing local Indian life.
Significance:
- His works are categorized as National Treasures due to their immense cultural and historical value to India
- He bridged the gap between traditional Indian art and the modern era, influencing generations of artists and the Indian film industry.
