When a commoner speaks about the best artists in the country, the first name on their lips is Raja Ravi Varma. If there is any artist who can be called the poster man of Indian art, it has to be him. The doyen of Indian art Raja Ravi Varma’s stunning oeuvres have been captivating millions of art lovers and the common man. Now, 131 of such rare lithographs printed at the famous Ravi Varma press are on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art.
The unique art show has been received with much fanfare amongst the artist community. What makes Raja Ravi Varma such a phenomenon is not only his emphasis on perfection or the immaculately painted human forms, or the jaw-dropping narratives from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but his bold step to make his art accessible to the common man through his lithography printing press. Raja Ravi Varma, a prolific Indian painter, in addition to painting in the academic and realistic style was also responsible for the propagation of art by printing Chromolithographs.
In this way, Varma made art accessible to all. Artistic representation was no longer the exclusive and elusive domain of the aristocrats. Raja Ravi Varma was therefore responsible for democratising art. Raja Ravi Varma established the Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press in 1894 at Bombay. The Press however was embroiled in financial irregularities which were finally mitigated by the purchase of an investor’s share.
The Varma brothers finally decided to relocate the press to Malavali near Lonavala and the relocation process commenced in 1899. By 1901, the Varma brothers were steeped in debt and decided to sell the press to Schleicher. Gita Maini, an organiser and CEO of the committee says, “We, at the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, have commenced cataloguing these lithographs and are scheduled to publish them in due course. It is our endeavour to propagate and celebrate the legacy of this great artist. Since our founder, Rukmini Varma, and our other trustees — Jay Varma, Ganesh Shivaswamy, and myself — are all based in Bengaluru, it was decided to open the first exhibition of the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation in this city, at the NGMA, following which we are drawing up plans to take the show across the country to all major centres of art.”
What separates this show from the others is the rarest of rare lithographs which have rarely been on show. One of which stands apart is the lithograph of Sudhanva before he heads to war, Shiva and Parvati as hunter and huntress and Goddess Saraswati sitting on a peacock. Every artwork is complimented with a curatorial note and narrative below it. This makes it easier for the art lover to understand the process behind every work. Educational institutions must make it a point to take students to the show, for the sheer magnificence and grandeur. For us to understand the socio-cultural significance of Raja Ravi Varma on Indian art and the reason why Raja Ravi Varma’s masterpieces are part of Indian folklore, this is a must-visit.
The show is on at NGMA till the August 14. — The writer is an art curator and art expert.
