Sisters
Raja Ravi Varma
The Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation
Bengaluru, India
Raja Ravi Varma painted many pictures representing sisterly affection. For the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893, he sent a hitherto unseen painting titled "A Sisterly Remembrance". This painting was described as a picture of "a Maratta family with a Ganesha idol in the background." There are many other paintings following the theme of a woman with a sisterly friend or 'sakhi'. Several of these paintings formed exemplars for chromolithographs printed at the Ravi Varma Press like Damayanti, Radha, Shakuntala Sakhi, etc. In this painting, Raja Ravi Varma depicts a scene of a girl adoringly glancing at her sister who is carrying a baby.
- Title: Sisters
- Creator: Raja Ravi Varma
- Location: India
- Physical Dimensions: 83 x 68.5 cms
- Type: Painting
- Original Source: Private Collection
- Rights: Curatorial rights: The Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation, Bengaluru
- Medium: Oil on Canvas
- Creator's Lifetime: 1848-04-29/1906-10-02
- Creator's Biography: Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was a prolific Indian artist who is recognized for his resorting to the academic realistic style of painting. His portraits of English and Indian royalty and aristocracy were well received. His paintings on Hindu religious and mythological subjects and paintings from classical and literary sources were highly sought after even during his lifetime. He painted several copies of his works and this demand led to the suggestion to have his paintings printed in the form of oleographs. The Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press was established in Bombay (now Mumbai) and commenced operations in 1894. Many of Ravi Varma's paintings were printed as chromolithographs at this Press. These chromolithographs would have a tremendous impact on religion, society and aesthetics. They went on to democratize art leading to immortalize Ravi Varma in the minds of the people of the Indian subcontinent.
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.