Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma in 1890s
Born(1848-04-29)29 April 1848[1][2]
Kilimanoor, Travancore (present-day Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)
Died2 October 1906(1906-10-02) (aged 58)
Attingal, Travancore, British Raj
Other namesKoil Thampuran of Kilimanoor, Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran
Alma materUniversity College Thiruvananthapuram
Occupation(s)painter, artist
Notable work
SpousePooruruttathi Thirunal Bhageerthi Thampuratti
AwardsKaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal
Signature

Raja Ravi Varma (Malayalam: [ɾaːdʒaː ɾɐʋi ʋɐrm(ː)ɐ]) (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906[3][4]) was an Indian painter and artist. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Especially, 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 lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among the common people. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim. He was part of the royal family of erstwhile Parappanad, Malappuram district.

Raja Ravi Varma was closely related to the royal family of Travancore of present-day Kerala state in India. Later in his life, two of his granddaughters were adopted into the royal family, and their descendants comprise the present royal family of Travancore, including the latest three Maharajas (Balarama Varma III, Marthanda Varma III and Rama Varma VII).[5]

  1. ^ Joshi, Om Prakash (1985). Sociology of Indian art. Rawat Publications. p. 40.
  2. ^ K.R.N. Swamy (28 April 2002). "A great painter, no doubt, but controversial too". Spectrum–The Tribune. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  3. ^ Nagam Aiya, The Travancore State Manual
  4. ^ "Restoring works of art". The Hindu. 19 July 2005. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  5. ^ Lord Padmanabha and his dasas Archived 8 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine indianculture.gov.in. Retrieved 31 July 2021