Context
- Recently, the first true copy of the painting ‘Indulekha’ by the legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma was unveiled on the occasion of his 176th birth anniversary at the Kilimanoor Palace.
About the Painting and its History
- The painting ‘Indulekha’ is a masterpiece by Raja Ravi Varma.
- It portrays Indulekha, the protagonist of the first modern novel in Malayalam literature by O. Chandu Menon, published in 1889.
- It is believed that the famous painting ‘Reclining Lady’ by Ravi Varma was modeled on Indulekha.
- It depicts Indulekha holding a letter addressing her lover Madhavan (the hero of the novel).
| Raja Ravi Varma (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906)
– Born: Kilimanoor, Travancore (present-day Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala). – Contributions – His paintings are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. – Varma’s paintings depicted scenes from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata and portraits of deities. – He was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public and increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes. |