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PARIPEX - INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH Volume-8 | Issue-8 | August-2019 | PRINT ISSN No. 2250 - 1991 'Hamsa Damayanthi' is experimentation in its true sense on the West. Ravi Varma's paintings thus synthesise elements of this technique of perspective, which mediates the so called academic realism and impressionism. Impressionist painters mythical space into the realistic. As opined by Vijayakumar of the West believed that we don't really see the real world Menon, “Raja Ravi Varma tries to humanise the deities of gods objectively, because everything that we see is filtered and goddesses who remained in the realm of mythology far through our minds. It is during such times that Ravi Varma away from the reach of normal man by creating a different painted his Nala Deserting Damayanthi. perspective which breaks the illusion of the untouchable space making it closer to man2.” But it is strange to find the entire landscape quite different from the nature as is in the geography of Kerala. It is to be noted that the 'picturesque' as seen in Western art form is manifested in the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. This is remarkably evident in the paintings like 'Lady in Moonlight', 'Radha Madhvam' and 'Sakunthala removing Thorn'. The pond, enthralling sky, sun's rays and its reflection all partake in the process of this aesthetics in the above said paintings. Western artists like Claude Lorraine, Titian and William Hodge have influenced Raja Ravi Varma to a great extend as he recreates their styles while painting Figure 4: Claude Monet, Bordighera, Oil on canvas 1884 landscapes. The nature which was actually meant to cater as a backdrop to Ravi Varma did not merely imitate the realistic represe characters, has achieved an independent existence in Ravi ntations as seen in Western paintings. Instead he recreated Varma's painting, 'Udayapuram Palace' (figure 5) i.e. something novel using the technique of Oil colours. The landscape as landscape. Nature is more an objective reality in techniques of shadow and light, sensibility as seen in his the above said painting. Udayapuram Palace forms the vast characters, melodramatic events etc. are elaborated to panorama with its architectural splendour, ornate by a water produce an aesthetics which patronise the Indian art tradition. fountain in the frontage. Myriad boats of different size, small Keeping in mind the Western aesthetic thought, Ravi Varma and big also become a part of the landscape. One of the small fathered a new aesthetic style for Indian art, which not only boats seems to carry people who are immersed in their work. conquered the hearts of the elite but also that of the common The painting differs from the rest of Ravi Varma's paintings as mass. As opined by Asok Mithra, “Ravi Varma introduced nature blends with architecture and its surroundings. perspective, having studied its laws according to the new science; European drawing, construction and composition and a new medium altogether; oil. He tried to wield the new tools in the Indian context and what he produced was not European painting at all but a new way of seeing. He introduced large bright areas of colour in his portraits and landscapes, adapted oil to the Indian light. It would be a mistake to regard his work as only a cheap or pointless imitation of the European technique. He was all the time struggling to look around himself through his European equipment and in doing so modified it to suit his vision3.''

Ravi Varma's painting 'Nala Deserting Damayanthi' (figure 3) Figure 5: Udayapuram Palace, Oil on canvas. explores nature in its true sense. The character of Nala and Damayanthi is silhouetted against the huge forest in which The flora has found a home on the architectural framework of they reside. The painting foregrounds Damayanthi who is the palace which gets reflected on the wavelet water body. asleep and in the background there is Nala who is slowly The rays of the sun as seen on the huge structure indicate the waking up from his deep slumber. Ravi Varma portrays these time that is being portrayed in the painting. The painting is human characters by maintaining or rather by keeping intact epitomising the 'Picturesque' technique which was the usual element of academic realism. In spite of the realistic popularised by the British Painters of the century. representations Ravi Varma uses the technique of light manifestations foregrounding the element of drama in the CONCLUSION painting. The landscape which forms the background of the The landscape originated in Ravi Varma's paintings was a painting is so represented that the elements of imagination as result of metamorphosing the imaginary-mythical natural is seen in many of his paintings are negated and it is further elements from the Indian epics and legends into the realm of furnished with a more realistic touch which takes it to a realism and thus 'reality'. These landscapes indeed could be different realm. Keeping into account the different shades of observed as a hybrid, which is more or less Indian in nature. nature, the artist uses colours, lighting techniques, and Or more wisely, it could be called as a new kind of landscape strokes of his brush. stemming from the merger of Indo-European aesthetics as such.

End Notes: 1. Vijaya kumar Menon, 2015, Bharatheeya Lavanya Vicharavum Kalaparasparyavum, Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Thrissur, p-113. 2. Vijaya kumar Menon, June 1994, “Bharathathil Adhunika kalayude paschathalam”, Sukritham Monthly, Thrissur, P- 14, 17. 3. Ashok Mitra, 1961, “The forces behind the modern movement”, in Lalithakala Contemporary, No.1, Delhi, p- Figure 3: Nala Deserting Damayanti, Oil on canvas, 1890. 16.

The nature thus painted in a way alludes to Impressionism REFERENCES: (figure 4), a technique popular among the artist belonging to 1. Kapur Gita, 2000, When was modernism, essays on contemporary cultural 46 www.worldwidejournals.com PARIPEX - INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH Volume-8 | Issue-8 | August-2019 | PRINT ISSN No. 2250 - 1991 practice in India, Tulika books. 2. Menon Vijaya kumar, June 1994, “Bharathathil Adhunika kalayude paschathalam”, Sukritham Monthly, Thrissur. 3. Menon Vijaya kumar, 2015, Bharatheeya Lavanya Vicharavum Kalaparasparyavum, Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Thrissur. 4. Mitra Ashok, 1961, “The forces behind the modern movement”, in Lalithakala Contemporary, No.1, Delhi. 5. Parimoo Ratan, 2006, Studies on the art of Raja Ravi Varma, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, Thrissur.

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