A portrait of Bandi Balaiah Naidu, one of many benefactors of Raja Ravi Varma and his brother C.Rajaraja Varma. One of the few portraits that Rajaraja Varma painted and signed on his own.
Collection: First published by Oxford University Press
Biography: Raja Ravi Varma: Portrait of An Artist The Diary of C. Raja Raja Varma by Erwin Neumayer and Christine Schelberger
About the Artist: Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), India’s foremost artist, who took art to the masses, hailed from Kilimanoor, in the erstwhile state of Travancore. From a very young age, Ravi Varma, was drawn towards art, imbibing techniques from his uncle and mentor Raja Raja Varma and his mother, Umayamba Bayi, a poet in her own right. Varma was much sought after by the Royals and owing to his popularity and reputation, his spectacular and richly-textured works were prolific. His realistic portrayals of contemporary figures and interpretations of religious and mythological figures fetched him instant and enduring success, lifting his standing in the art world. If the Royals and his countrymen were in awe of this great talent, the international world was spellbound by his imagination and creativity. He ensured that art would be accessible to all, through reproductions of his paintings which were made available, and affordable to everyone.
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