Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma (Malayalam: രാജാ രവി വര്‍മ) (April 29, 1848 - October 2, 1906) was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. His paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art.

Varma is most remembered for his paintings of beautiful sari-clad women, who were portrayed as shapely and graceful. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in the Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873. Raja Ravi Varma died in 1906 at the age of 58. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art.

Raja Ravi Varma was born as Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran of Kilimanoor palace in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore in Kerala. His father Ezhumavail Neelakanthan Bhattatiripad was an accomplished scholar, and his mother Umayamba Thampuratti (d.1886) was a poet and writer whose work Parvati Swayamvaram would be published by Raja Ravi Varma after her death. His siblings were C. Goda Varma (b.1854), C. Raja Raja Varma (b.1860) and Mangala Bayi Thampuratti, who was also a painter. At a young age he secured the patronage of HH Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal of Travancore, a relative, and began formal training thereafter.[1] He was trained in water painting by Rama Swami Naidu, and later in oil painting by Dutch portraitist Theodor Jenson.

Raja Ravi Varma received widespread acclaim after he won an award for an exhibition of his paintings at Vienna in 1873.[2] He travelled throughout India in search of subjects. He often modeled Hindu Goddesses on South Indian women, whom he considered beautiful. Ravi Varma is particularly noted for his paintings depicting episodes from the story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala, and Nala and Damayanti, from the Mahabharata. Ravi Varma's representation of mythological characters has become a part of the Indian imagination of the epics. He is often criticized for being too showy and sentimental in his style. However his work remains very popular in India.

In 1904 Viceroy Lord Curzon, on behalf of the King Emperor bestowed upon Raja Ravi Varma the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal. At this time his name was mentioned as "Raja Ravi Varma" for the first time, raising objections from Maharajah Moolam Thirunal of Travancore. Ravi Varma however defended the title stating that his ancestors had been the Rajahs of Beypore in Malabar and besides, as per the Marumakkathayam tradition, the name of the maternal uncle (Raja Raja Varma) was prefixed to the name. Thereafter he was always referred to as Raja Ravi Varma.[1]

In 1993, art critic Rupika Chawla and artist A Ramachandran jointly curated a large exhibition of Raja Ravi Varma's works at the National Museum, New Delhi. Considering his vast contribution to Indian art, the Government of Kerala has instituted an award called Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram, which is awarded every year to people who show excellence in the field of art and culture. Awardees include:

   * K.G. Subramanian (2001)

* M.V. Devan (2002)
* A Ramachandran (2003)
* Vasudevan Namboodiri (2004).
* Kanai Kunhiraman (2005)
* V.S. Valliathan (2006)
A college dedicated to fine arts was also constituted in his honour at Mavelikara, Kerala. The renewed interest in Raja Ravi Varma has spilled into the area of popular culture as films and music videos have started using his images. Propaghandi, a popular Canadian band, has cited him as a major influence to their work. The lead singer of Propaghandi claims to have had sudden inspiration for the song "Gifts" while looking at Lady Giving Alms at the Temple.

Raja Ravi Varma was married to Pururuttathi Nal Bhageerathi Amma Thampuran (Kochu Pangi) of the Royal House of Mavelikara and they had two sons and three daughters. Their eldest son, Kerala Varma, born in 1876 went missing in 1912 and was never heard of again. Their second son was Rama Varma (b.1879), an artist who studied at the JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, married to Srimathi Gowri Kunjamma, sister of Dewan PGN Unnithan. Raja Ravi Varma's elder daughter, Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha Thampuran, appears in two of his prominent paintings and was mother of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore. He had another daughter, Thiruvadira Nal Kochukunji Thampuran, grandmother of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma Maharajah. His third daughter, born in 1882, was Ayilyam Nal Cheria Kochamma Thampuran.

His descendants comprise the Mavelikara Royal house while two of his granddaughters, including the said Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, were adopted to the Travancore Royal Family, the cousin family of the Mavelikara House, to which lineage the late Travancore Maharajah Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma belongs. Well known among his descendants are writer Shreekumar Varma (Prince Punardam Thirunal), artists Rukmini Varma (Princess Bharani Thirunal) and Jay Varma, classical musician Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma and others.

The following is a list of the prominent works of Ravi Varma.

   * Village Belle

* Lady Lost in Thought
* Damayanti Talking to a Swan
* The Orchestra
* Arjuna and Subhadra
* Lady with lamp
* The broken
* Swarbat Player
* Shakuntala
* Lord Krishna as Ambassador
* Jatayu, a bird devotee of Lord Rama is mauled by Ravana
* Victory of Indrajit
* A Family of Beggars
* A Lady Playing Swarbat
* Lady Giving Alms at the Temple
* Lord Rama Conquers Varuna
* Nair Woman
* Romancing Couple
* Draupadi Dreading to Meet Kichaka
* Shantanu and Matsyagandha
* Shakuntala Composing a Love Letter to King Dushyanta
* Girl in Sage Kanwa's Hermitage (Rishi-Kanya)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ravi_Varma