Cosmos Oleographos & The Interwoven Garland

Cosmos Oleographos (Quadriptych)

Raja Ravi Varma towers over Indian Modernism in the breadth of his vision, and application of western realism/academic art to Indian narratives and lore. He is the father of Indian calendar art, popularising visuals of well known and loved stories from our epics and Puranas. Here the artist thematically ‘sorts’ Ravi Varma’s well-known oleographs (made available by the generosity of Apparao Galleries) into sets of divine and quotidian imageries, juxtaposing them together in pairs or groups of four, to create lenticular expressions that look like cut-up, prismatic collages when viewed from the front, but resolve themselves into complete images from certain vantage view-points. This is a celebration of and a tribute paid to the mind of Raja Ravi Varma, whose works seem obvious and simplistic when viewed in themselves, but address a gamut of complex socio-cultural issues and nuances when viewed through the historical lens of the time in which he constructed these images. He was a Hindu-revivalist far ahead of his time, and he fought British colonialism with his innovative thinking and artistic flourish. This work seeks to convert his 2D art to 3D, revealing the depth of thinking that this genius embodied in his creative thinking. This artist hopes and prays that Raja Ravi Varma would approve.


The Interwoven Garland of Lakshmi and Saraswati

Raja Ravi Varma is the father of Indian calendar art, popularising visuals of our beloved Gods and Goddesses. In this work we combine and inter-weave the energy of Saraswati, the divine feminine energy of knowledge, skills, all creativity and learning; And Lakshmi, the divine feminine energy of wealth and prosperity. They seem like different directions of human pursuits, and in some ways they are diametrically opposite, but they can also be complementary, and without one the other feels incomplete and meaningless. What is material prosperity without creativity and knowledge. What are skills and learning if material sufficiency cannot fully support their blooming?
When both happen following each other, they establish balance and a virtuous cycle. This is the fine balance all artists, indeed all humans should always aspire to. We pray to the cosmos that we may be blessed always with a garland of both of these interwoven energies.