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| Raja Ravi Varma (self portrait) |
It was in September 2013 that I came
across a book in the biography section of the Cochin University Central
Library. Titled ‘The Painter – A Life of Ravi Varma’, it was written by Deepanjana
Pal. The book detailed the life of Raja Ravi Varma (1848 – 1906), the most
eminent painter ever to have arisen in Kerala. The epithet ‘Raja’ in his name
should not be confused with rulership of any kingdom, but is to be understood
as the ceremonial title attributed to aristocratic families related by blood
ties to the royal house. His oil paintings ushered in a new era in the art of
painting in Kerala and for many Malayalis even today, his name is synonymous
with the quintessential artist.
The book provided good priming in
exploring the life of Ravi Varma. He sparred with the reigning king Vishakham
Tirunal, and had to leave Travancore to Vadodara in search of livelihood. All
the time, prodigious pictures that portrayed life in its infinite diversity and
painstaking detail continued to astonish connoisseurs of painting and art.
Right when I was reading the book, a desire suddenly caught hold of me to see
all of Ravi Varma’s paintings in original.
Of course, this is an impossible task.
Many, if not most, of his works are in private collections and having no mantle
of authority of any kind to grease my way, there is no hope to have a peep into
the private collections. What about art galleries in the public domain? The
largest collection is said to be in the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum in
Vadodara, where the royal family employed him as the court painter. A hall is
dedicated to him at the Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery in Mysore and some
paintings are kept at National Art Gallery in Chennai. Ravi Varma proved his
mettle in Vadodara, but his native Kerala also have a few paintings in its
collection at the Sree Chitra Art Gallery in Thiruvananthapuram. I haven’t
visited any of them yet, so I decided to begin with the local one first.
Taking some time off from an official
program, I reached the museum complex in Thiruvananthapuram at 2 pm on February
10, 2016. It was extremely hot, but a lot of people, mostly young couples,
occupied the park benches in cool shades. A sense of unhurried charm filled the
atmosphere. I walked straight to the impressive building at the centre of the
complex, which is in fact the Napier Museum that is shown erroneously as the
art gallery in many web sites. The Sree Chitra Art Gallery is where Ravi
Varma’s paintings are kept, and it is inside the zoological garden complex
nearby. There are separate ticket counters for the zoo and art gallery.
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| Shakuntala |
It was a fulfilling experience to view
all those pictures so up close! 43 paintings of Ravi Varma is displayed here,
including very famous ones like ‘Shakuntala’, ‘Damayanti and the Swan’,
‘Draupadi at the Court of Virata’, ‘Milk Maid’ and ‘Ravana Carrying Sita’. The
paintings are placed so close to the visitors that they can touch it if they
extend their hands in full, but of course, that is forbidden. Standing in front
of Shakuntala, one is instantly mesmerized by her furtive sideways glance at
the receding figure of King Dushyanta (who is not in the frame), while bending
her knee as if to remove a prick from the heel. The hermitage suddenly comes
alive around you with the sound of crickets and the gentle flapping of leaves
in the mild breeze until you are brought back to your senses by the loud
gossiping of the female attendants in the gallery.
I spent almost an hour and a half at
the gallery, which is actually very small in area. As I said earlier, the
available space is crammed with pictures. There was only one police officer in
the complex and so it is likely that the original pictures are locked away in
safe vaults. During the entire period I was in the building, I couldn’t drive
away the thought of how the authorities would prevent anyone intent on
vandalizing the precious frames? The LED lighting system was not at all
pleasing as it threw annoying glare on the uneven canvas surface of the
paintings.
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| 'Sweet Remembrance of One So Dear' |
The gallery houses the works of Raja
Varma, the noted painter’s younger brother. Judging from the painting
displayed, it may safely be assumed that he was a worthy brother to Ravi Varma.
He died of tumour in the intestines a few years before Ravi Varma himself
succumbed to diabetes at the age of 58. The sensuous depiction of a flower
gathering girl titled ‘Flower Gatherer’ is simply superb. Rama Varma, who was
the son of Ravi Varma, was also a true upholder of his father’s legacy. His
‘Sweet Remembrance of One So Dear’ is an enchanting one as in the dexterity of
the interplay of light and shade on the face of a pretty girl wearing a white
shawl over her head in profile. This so fascinated me that I decided to procure
a reproduction very soon.
It was a memorable time that I had at
the gallery. I have decided to visit the others in Chennai, Mysore and Vadodara
as well. Web sites say that the Sree Chitra possesses 70 Ravi Varmas, but only
43 are in show. It was maddening to think that the other 27 may be stacked
somewhere in its dark storerooms.
The entry ticket costs Rs. 20. The
timings are 10.00 am to 4.45 pm except on Mondays and Wednesdays. Monday is a
holiday and on Wednesdays, it functions from 1.00 pm to 4.45 pm.
The full list of the 43 paintings by
Ravi Varma kept at the Sree Chitra Art Gallery is as follows.
1. Draupadi and Simhika 1898
2. Gypsies of South India 1893
3. Sakuntala 1892
4. Horses
5. Judith
6. Draupadi at the Court of Virata 1897
7. Swordsman
8. Milkmaid 1901
9. Mohini Rugmangada 1899
10. Mysore Khedda Camp
11. Jagan Mandir Palace, Udaipur 1901
12. Raja Raja Varma
13. Mr. Ramanatha Rao 1896
14. Dadabhai Naoroji
15. Hamsa and Damayanti 1899
16. G T McKenzie
17. Mysore Stables 1904
18. Mysore Khedda 1
19. Mysore Khedda 2
20. H B Grig, Esq
21. Portrait Study
22. Dance Pose 1
23. Rajput Soldier 1901
24. Brahmin Woman
25. Rai Pannalal Mehta 1901
26. Rana Pratap 1901
27. Danse Pose 2
28. A Student
29. Reading the Newspaper 1904
30. Mrs. Ramanatha Rao 1891
31. Head peon
32. Mohini and Rugmangada
33. Udaipur Palace 1901
34. Rest
35. Ravana Carrying Sita 1895
36. Johar
37. Rama Breaks the Bow
38. Bhil Woman
39. Lady in Prison
40. Col. W D Brodie Ketchen 1890
41. Amma Thampuran of Mavelikkara
42. Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran
43. Maharani Lakshmi Bai 1883
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