The Milk Maid - A North Indian village girl carrying milk
Oil Painting - Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala


His highness Raja Ravi Varma was born on April 29, 1848 at Kilimanoor Palace in a small princely state called Travancore in Modern Kerala. 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. His father was Ezhumavail Neelakanthan Bhattatiripad , accomplished scholar, and his mother was Umayamba Thampuratti (d.1886) a poet and writer whose major work was Parvati Swayamvaram . As a boy of five, he filled the walls of his Palace with pictures of animals and illustrations from everyday life. His uncle the artist Raja Raja Varma recognized his talents and gave him elementary art lessons. He was taken to Thiruvananthapuram in his fourteenth year to stay in the royal palace and learn oil painting. During these formative years the young Ravi Varma had many opportunities to discover and learn new techniques and media in the field of painting. His later years spent in Mysore, Baroda ad other parts of the country enabled him to sharpen and expand his skills and blossom into a mature and complete painter. 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. This is a tribute to his works.



The Maharashtrian Lady-Traditionally dressed Lady of Maharashtra, India
Oil Painting - Kowdiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala



Expectation -Portrait of a North Indian Lady
Oil Painting - Kowdiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala


The Sucking Child-An illustrative portrayal of Keralaite mother and child
Oil Painting - Sri Jayachama Rajendra Art Gallery, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore, Karnataka

 

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