SKILL ENHANCEMENT

COURSE

COLONIAL ART AND

MODERNISM IN INDIA:RAJA
RAVI VARMA
Brajeshwari
202420
B.A.(Hons) History
 Introduction
19th century India witnessed a marked alteration in the realm of
painting techniques and served as the advent of modernity within
the Indian society.

Due to influx of European realism in painting not only Indian art

was thought as primitive by the Europeans but Indian people also
came to think of it that way.

This led to establishment of British art school were oil painting and
European techniques taught known as 'company paintings'.
 Raja Ravi Varma
• one of the most celebrated and prominent Indian painter
of 19th century.He is known as “Father of Modern Indian
Art”.

•His works combined European realism with Indian

sensibility. 

•For his paintings theme, Varma took inspiration from

diverse sources like the chanting of Vedic verses, the
Kathakali dance dramas, and the artistic interpretations of
Sanskrit epics namely, Ramayana and the Mahabharata. 

•Varma also printed affordable oleographs of his

paintings, making his artworks accessible to the Indian
public.
 Contributions in Indian
Art
•European Fusion-Varma painting is best example of fusion of European techniques
with Indian sensibility and continues the tradition and aesthetics of Indian Art

•Secular Paintings-Varma gave birth to secular sacred images that can even today
be found in Puja rooms,calendar advertisement,tiles in public space,flex banners

•Depiction of women-he often model Hindu goddess on South Indian women.

•Challenging caste and class hierarchies-as the circulation of these images broke
down the idea that they were meant to rest solely within temples or in private
collections.
 •insights of Indian mythology-Through his paintings he gave an
insight of famous mythological stories to those who were not fortunate
enough to hear or read them.

•depiction of social realities-for instance,one of his paintings
depicting 'A Family of Beggars' represented the sorry state of Indian
economy.
Famous paintings of
Raja Ravi Varma
Jatayu Vadham
It means killing of jatayu.
The painting captures of very moving episode
from the Sanskrit epic Ramayan .Ravan the
demon God of Lanka is abducting Sita the wife
of Ram.Jatayu was the divine but sacrificed his
life trying to save Sita from Ravana.
Damayanti and the Hamsa

This painting portrays a popular love story from the 'Vana

Parva' of Mahabharata of Princess Damayanti and King
Nala.The Hamsa or the swan tells Damyanti about king
Nala and see falls in love with him. 

Varma used his imagination to paint a beautiful woman

dress elegantly in a red saree and the setting is very
idealised and romantic with Marvel interior and Lotus pond.
A women holding a fruit
This painting of Varma portrays a young woman holding a
fruit in one hand. Her gaze is direct and playful her long
hair is open which symbolise female sexuality in South
India.Also her saree is falling from her shoulder suggesting
she is both innocent and aware of her sensuality.
The Birth of Shakuntala

In this painting Varma shows the moment when

vishwamitra reject Menaka and baby Shakuntala
because they remind him of his lapse in spiritual
pause weights on his renunciation of domestic life.
Goddess Saraswati
This painting of Goddess Saraswati is depicted as a
beautiful woman dressed in white saree sitting on a
Lotus playing the Veena .White symbolises purity and
wisdom.Varma retain the iconography of the goddess
Saraswati with the addition of the ground which is
often seen in Tanjore paintings the flowers is scattered
around are chrysanthemums, frangipani, hibiscus.
Femininity of the Painting

 Ravi Varma conceptualized and idealised the feminine figure in the later studies of
human figure and mythological paintings.

 He used the same ‘guileful mannerism’ used in the Academy paintings and provided
Indianess with the use of cloth and ornaments which is common feature elaborated
in the Indian costumes.
 Along with these he conceived the narrative paintings such as
Damayanti,Shakuntala and Draupadi.
 These paintings became the new faces and much admired ‘devis’ of Hindu
legend.These women in Varma painting became stereotyped models of feminity,in
their sensual appearances, evocative facial expressions and leisurely mood of their
actions.
Criticism

 The Bengal school of painters criticised Varma art as they believed in nationalism
and were obsessed with the Indianness of form and spirit.
 He was also condemned for overshadowing traditional Indian art forms,
especially the one depicting Hindu gods and goddesses.
 Critics also criticised him for depicting Indian women, especially women from
Hindu mythologies with pale skin.
 Hence his art were criticized as being imitative, European and blasphemous.
 Conclusion

 Varma 'pauranic' portrayal and the paintings of women he produced

later,carried more dominant overtones of allegory and idealism.His attempt
in painting and printing episode from Hindu mythological text help in
communicating the stories to the masses irrespective of their class and
literacy. Varma provided a wider reaching impact on the society.