Context: Raja Ravi Varma’s painting ‘Yashoda and Krishna’ has become the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever sold at auction, fetching a record-shattering ₹167.2 crore.
- Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was a pioneering Indian painter, widely regarded as the father of modern Indian art.
- He was born into an aristocratic family in the princely state of Travancore (present-day Kerala) and trained himself in European-style oil painting and realism.
- He became famous for blending European academic techniques such as perspective and chiaroscuro with Indian mythological and social themes.
- In 1894, he set up a lithographic press to mass-produce affordable oleographs of his paintings.
- This innovation democratized art by bringing sacred imagery and high-quality visuals into ordinary Indian homes for the first time.
- His depictions of Hindu deities standardized their popular visual forms, influencing calendar art and mass culture.
- Some of his most notable works include Shakuntala, Yashoda and Krishna, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair.
- His works are considered national treasures, and he played a crucial role in bridging traditional Indian art with modern artistic practices, influencing generations of artists and even Indian cinema.
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