Like in the rest of India, oil painting is a recent introduction in Kerala as well. Traditional Indian painting does not include this art technique but with the influx of Europeans, Indians learnt oil painting and learnt it well.
He won the first prize in Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873 and won international acclaim in addition to the laurels headped on him back home.
The themes of Ravi Verma’s paintings were scenes from the Indian epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata or stills from the myths and legends of India such as the tale of King Nala and Princess Damayanti.
Having learnt water paintings under Ramaswamy Naidu and oil paintings under the British painter Theodor Jenson, Raja Ravi Verma's style was a classic fusion of the two.
His depiction of the saree clad women seems extremely realistic and the folds of their sarees, their tresses and their ornaments were almost lifelike. But what enthralls the onlooker is the expression on the face of these characters, the glaze in their eyes, and the "lost in her thought" look of these women.
Raja Ravi Verma's expertise was his use of oil to depict the contrast between light and shadow.
This theme is brought out best in his masterpiece painting Lady with the Lamp. Some of his other popular pieces are-
- Damayanti Talking to a Swan
- Lady Lost in Thought
- Village Belle
- Shakuntala
- Harischandra in Distress
Though he lives in the USA, he derives his inspiration from the beauty of Kerala and in the last decade has painted a series of landscapes, a series called "Sacred Places within You" and a series of miniature paintings.
Last Updated on 27 May 2011
