Raja Ravi Varma () (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.
Early life
Raja Ravi Varma was born as Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran of
Kilimanoor palace in the erstwhile
princely state of
Travancore(thiruvithankur) 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. He was trained in water painting by Rama...
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