Saturday, June 14, 2008

The Arts of India







The Arts of India



The Arts of India are the illustration of the religious life of the Hindus. Like their faith, the arts have been preserved for the past three thousand years, from change and decay, from foreign invasions, and from the fury of the nature. We owe its preservation to the future generations. For, it exemplifies how life can indeed revolve around the arts.

The Genius of Ravi Verma

I have been fascinated by the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma (also spelled as Raja Ravi Verma) since my childhood. In our ancestral home, there were framed copies of these paintings...only God knows where they are now. I knew a lawyer from Karwar, Mr. Haldipur, who was a great devotee of Ravi Varma and had collected many of his works.

Great injustice has been done to the artist Ravi Varma in our country because he used modern hues and oils in his work and because of the western influence in his paintings. The critics said his was not Indian art. To me, Ravi Varma is not only among India's greatest artists, but also a great patriot. His depiction of the beauty of the Indian woman is unequalled in Indian art.

When the art gallery of Mysore was under renovation, I got an opportunity to photograph them and my joy knew no bounds! Over the years I got to see many a fine-print reproductions of Ravi Varma's paintings and have tried to photograph the expression of his subjects.

(Blushful yet Calm - revealing yet beautiful Art by Ravi Varma)





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