Who was Raja Ravi Varma ?

29 April 2021

My Dear Young and Little Indians,

Raja Ravi Varma (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was a celebrated Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. He was so good at painting that his artwork looked as if it were a living being !!

He was born in the then princely state of Travancore (now Kerala).
Today is his 173rd Birthday.

Raja Ravi Varma

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.

Lithography is the process of printing text or artwork onto paper or cloth or other material. In other words Raja Ravi Varma could make multiple copies of his paintings in a printing press so that more and more people could see and appreciate his work.  In today’s times this may seem very common and casual but more than a century back, printing artwork in a printing press while maintaining their originality was an achievement.
 
His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among common people for several decades.

We all have heard so much about Italian painters and artists like Leonardo da Vinci (who made the Mona Lisa) and Michelangelo. With due respect to these painters......

Indian painter & artist Raja Ravi Varma is OUR Pride & Honour.


मेरा इतिहास , मेरा अभिमान
मेरा भारत , मैं हूँ भारत

 

Jai Hind !

Gaurav