Raja Ravi Varma: A Poet of Aesthetic and Cultural Confluence

Ravi Varma recreated implicit moments that evoked contemplative moods for the viewer. Much like Raphael's School of Athens seen in the Vatican or Caravaggio's Calling of St. Matthews.

These works showcase brilliant perspectives of light through objects like the window, shutter and table.

Quattrocento, which means "four hundred" for the years belonging to the fifteenth century, was one of the most important periods of European art and culture.

Early practitioners of the new art of perspective in the Quattrocento understood that its power lay not so much in revealing the way things are, as in manipulating the way things appear to be.

Varma followed this in his work.

Ravi Varma cleverly manipulated pictorial structures to give them wonderful, emotive qualities. While many artists face difficulty manipulating the colour red, Ravi Varma managed to do it masterfully as is evident in this painting. 

In terms of Chromatic development, notice the flesh tone on the demons and how the form is manipulated. Also note the shade of the sari draped around Sita. These are brilliant artistic observations that one doesn't consider because they are executed incredibly well by Varma. 

Connors says: "This painting is one that alludes various emotions. The dark tones of the demons' skin is brilliant. It is very difficult to make flesh and fabric look more dark than light to give its Chiaroscuro resonance."

Ravi Varma manipulated the overall Chiaroscuro in each painting. Most times a painting is either too flat or too dark. Chiaroscuro is clearly present in his work to enhance the poetry of the narrative. 

Poetry is emotion put into measure. The emotion must come by nature. But the measure can be acquired by art – Thomas Hardy, English poet. 

Varma captures these poetic moments effortlessly in his work.

Varma brings together pictorial structure and invokes in the viewer a sense of empathy for young Shakuntala. Here the foreground of the painting is in shadow - but it is the middle ground that is in the light.

This is a composition that Raja Ravi Varma has so cleverly manipulated that our attention is brought to Shakuntala first. The eye then travels to the shadows and we notice of one of her companions. 

The cloaked figure is an integral part of the painting, yet we don't actually see it at all. His head is covered with the cloak, but he is in the light and hence the viewer cannot miss him (or his presence) in the painting.

The construction of the landscape is similar to what you see in Italian Renaissance paintings. Ravi Varma gives each tree its due, enabling the viewer to sense the spirituality and romance of the moment.

The art of portraiture has two structures - intimate and formal. The Miser by Ravi Varma is categorised as an intimate portrait, where the viewer contemplates the subject as a fellow human being.

Notice how the threshold of this portrait is maintained at eye level. It is like the artist is issuing an invitation to be face-to-face with the subject. Varma often adopted this technique when he was painting someone unknown to him.

This is a formal portrait of Yuvaraj Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar. It conveys the subject's status as the threshold of this painting is meant to look up to the model.

This kind of portrait indicates a person of importance as one who is looking down to others.