After coming from Madras, Varma painted ‘Heights and Depths’ showing a Tamil woman from the royal family flinging a silver coin at a beggar woman.
The painting ‘The Gypsies of South India’ featuring a wandering fortuneteller sitting with a baby on her lap singing her miseries to the god, painted in the same period is notable.
In 1874, he again won the prize for his work in Madras Art Competition. He drew ‘Tamil woman tuning her instrument’.
By 1876, he had painted several versions of Shakuntala and one particular painting sent for the Madras competition, which impressed the Duke of Buckingham so much that it was chosen as the frontispiece for Sir Monier Williams translation of Abhijnana Shakuntalam.
Ravi Varma spent a lot of time in painting portraits. He placed emphasis on man and the events in the world of man and found heavenly beauty crystallized in the form of a woman. While, he was busy painting, anyone was free to enter the studio and converse with him. He would also incorporate the genuine suggestions in the painting. He introduced several new perspectives in Indian painting based on the new science-- European drawing, construction, composition and the use of a new medium-oil. His forte was the use of bright colors in his portraits and landscapes. He adopted oil to Indian light though his technique and form was European, the soul was Indian.
Ravi Varma’s paintings are credited for making the rest of India acquainted with the culture and life style of the Tamilians.
In 1881, Ravi Varma was invited in the state of Baroda as a special guest for the coronation ceremony, which helped in fostering strong connection between him and the ruler. Later, on his visit again to the state he made the portraits of the entire family of king Gaekwad. The Baroda palace today has 80 of Ravi Varma’s paintings.
There was a huge demand for the Varma’s oil paintings. Madhava Rao of Baroda suggested him to select and send some painting to Baroda, so that they could be oleo graphed, which helped in spreading his name and fame further.
Ravi Varma also entered a strong relationship with the Raja of Mysore and painted the portraits of Raja and his family.
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