Raja Ravi Varma’s Studio Secrets Shed Light On His Artistic Process
Shivaswamy has authored a six-volume series on Ravi Varma, comprising 2,142 pages and more than 1,800 images. Four volumes have been released so far.
Hyderabad:The hidden workings of Raja Ravi Varma’s studios, including his use of photography, ordinary people as models and European art books, offer fresh insights into the making of some of India’s most celebrated paintings, art researcher and author Ganesh V. Shivaswamy said.
He explained that Ravi Varma’s paintings were not solely products of individual genius but emerged through the contributions of models, photographers, family members, patrons and other artists associated with his studios. Shivaswamy has authored a six-volume series on Ravi Varma, comprising 2,142 pages and more than 1,800 images. Four volumes have been released so far.
Delivering a special lecture, ‘The Studios of Raja Ravi Varma’ at the Salar Jung Museum here on Thursday, Shivaswamy spoke in how archival records, photographs, diaries and sketches have helped researchers reconstruct the artist’s creative process.
Rare photographs and glass plate negatives that were discovered in a box at Kilimanoor, the artist’s family residence, revealed how photographs served as references for compositions, poses, costumes and studio props. Shivaswamy said Ravi Varma sometimes posed for his own paintings, citing ‘Damayanti’ as an example in which the artist reportedly dressed in a sari and photographed himself to overcome difficulties in finding a suitable model.
He also traced the story of Rajibai Mulgaonkar, a Kalavant from Goa, who posed for the artist’s depiction of Goddess Lakshmi and other works. The example, he said, highlighted how an individual’s identity could be transformed through art.
Archival records from Mysore also revealed that Ravi Varma and his brother, C. Raja Raja Varma, requested musical performances while working. The brothers commissioned watercolour character sketches of local people, some of whose clothing and cultural details were later incorporated into larger paintings.
Shivaswamy highlighted the importance of European art books and engravings in shaping Ravi Varma’s compositions, challenging earlier assumptions about the influences behind certain works.
He argued that an artwork’s legacy should recognise everyone involved in its creation and subsequent circulation, rather than placing the painter above all others. He also questioned conventional ideas of artistic originality, suggesting that creativity begins in the mind before being translated into a physical work.