A new book on Raja Ravi Varma attempts to sketch his life and of course, his art

At the launch of her biography on Raja Ravi Varma, Rupika Chawla, Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla's wife, revealed how she first 'met' the artist, while curating his works for an exhibition in the 1990s. The conservator found the Kerala painter intriguing. Nearly two decades later, after tracing his life, locating lost paintings, and interviewing descendants of his family members, friends and acquaintances, Raja Ravi Varma, Painter of Colonial India was born.

At the launch attended by Ravi Varma's great-grandson, Padmanabha Dasa Marthanda Varma, there was a poignant moment while governor K Sankaranarayanan released the book. He mentioned being a fan of the painter and that he owned a couple of Ravi Varma's works. When Padmanabha Dasa was called upon to speak, he remarked that he was envious of the governor, since he had but one of his great-grandfather's paintings.
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In a quick chat, author Rupika Chawla picks her favourites from his many masterpieces, and tries to etch with words, the kind of person Ravi Varma must have been.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

What about Raja Ravi Varma that struck you the most?
The fact that so little was known about this painter. Who was he? How was he able to make the kind of paintings he made, what motivated him, what was his background, the times he lived in, who were the people he knew, his collectors, the value of his art -- then and now, his technique and method of painting, the people who were influenced by him and the value of his art today. In my research, all these questions were answered, and much more than that came my way.

(From left) Yashoda and Krishna (Travancore); The Lady in The Moonlight (New Delhi); Pregnant Sita Abandoned in the Forest (Mysore)

Which of his paintings featured in your book is your favourite and why?
Several paintings in the Mysore collection. They were among the last Ravi Varma did. In terms of composition, they are complex, well executed and exquisitely beautiful, while also concentrating and expressing the drama that involves their narrative. I also find the baby Krishna paintings appealing.

As someone who has studied Varma and his paintings, do you feel like you know him? Can you tell us a little about him?
It is impossible to write a biographical account without striving to understand the personality and character of a person -- especially that of a person long gone. A writer must always strive to understand how the subject would have thought and reacted under a given situation and why a subject has done whatever he did. But analysis and understanding of a subject are only possible when based on facts. Wild guesses don't fit into the scheme of things. Intuitive responses on the part of the writer, based on facts, are important.

RV balanced tradition and modernity, combined business enterprise with his love of painting, understood the commercial value of art and was a forerunner in propagating art. With that in mind he started the oleograph press and wished to make a museum but died before he could manage that.

At the launch, Mr Chawla mentioned a few dead ends during research, paintings that were not found. Is a new book in the works?
Too early to say. What he meant was that I could have gone on endlessly with research but needed to stop! Nothing can go on endlessly. Otherwise, I might not have got down to writing the book!

Raja Ravi Varma, Painter of Colonial India is published by Mapin, priced at Rs 3,500

About Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma belonged to the princely state of Travancore in colonial India. Born in 1848, he is most popular for his depictions of scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Several Hindu calendars feature pictures of gods and goddesses originally sketched by him.

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