Divine designs

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Raja Ravi Varma’s ‘Mohini’

It was in the 19th century that artist Raja Ravi Varma, to make art accessible to everyone — even the middle class, started making oleographs; a print made with oil paint that makes the painting look like an oil painting.

Now, an upcoming exhibition ‘The Divine Deities’ looks back at some of those indispensable works by Varma. Anubhav Nath, of Ojas Art, is putting together some of Varma’s best works. He says that it’s a collection that has been put together over the years, from around the country. “My grandfather, Ramchander Nath, started collecting these pieces, and I have continued,” says Nath, adding that whatever he is putting up in the exhibition is extremely unique “as these are old oleographs with old zardosi work, done in the 1920s.” Raja Ravi Varma popularised the technique of oleography through his printing press that he set up in Mumbai in 1892, to produce high-quality prints of his paintings. “In the early 20th century, some oleographs made their way to Burma, where they were further embellished with embroidery and zardosi. The pieces with the zari work are real collectables, and in the past five years their value has really spiralled,” says Nath, who is of the opinion that if it were not for Varma’s imagination, the imagery of Gods and Goddesses would not have become accessible to the middle class.
“The pieces are self-explanatory. The use of fabric is very unique — it resonates with the aesthetic of those times and reflects on the fashion trends of that era,” says Nath, adding that women of that period often used these works as a reference to find the colour combinations in vogue. “Each zari piece is unique as they cannot be exactly the same,” says Nath. He thinks that the most interesting pieces in the collection are the images of Lakshmi and Saraswati, but says that all the pieces have a story to narrate.
“It’s up to the viewer as to how deep he gets into it. Each piece is historically unique, as it were these pieces that took art beyond the boundaries of palaces to the drawing rooms and puja rooms of homes,” he adds. However, since one tends to lose the patina of the work in the restoration process, no restoration has been done.