Raja Ravi Varma: An Everlasting Imprint
by
Ganesh V Shivaswamy
Advocate and Author
On Wednesday, 19th July 2023 at 3.30 p.m.
Venue: JRD Tata Auditorium, NIAS
Moderator: Dr Deepti Navaratna, TV Raman Pai Chair Professor, NIAS
Chair: Professor Sharada Srinivasan, National Institute of Advanced Studies
About the Lecture: The lecture delves into the social, religious and aesthetic impact of the visual legacy of Ravi Varma on people of the Indian sub-continent and beyond; as elucidated in the comprehensive 6 volume book series ‘Raja Ravi Varma: An Everlasting Imprint’ authored by the speaker with about 1800 images. The first volume delves into the life of Raja Ravi Varma and the elements which inspired his paintings which the lecture will mainly touch upon. The further volumes chart the journey of the Ravi Varma Press and the impact of the prints on various aspects of life, the images intended for worship, images from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Shrimad Bhagavatam and related plays and furthermore the images of people of power and women.
About the Speaker: Ganesh V. Shivaswamy is a lawyer from Bengaluru, who has been working to structure the artistic legacy of Raja Ravi Varma. In 2019 he established the Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation which to commemorate 125 years since the founding of the Ravi Varma Press, launched chromolithographs from his collection on the Google Arts and Culture platform inaugurated by Her Highness Shubhangini Raje, Rajamata Ji of Baroda. In 2021 Ganesh was appointed the honorary curator of the new wing of the Sree Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram dedicated to the works of Ravi Varma and associated artists. The first of the six volumes authored by him on ‘Raja Ravi Varma: An Everlasting Imprint’ was released at the Lakshmi Vilas Palace at Vadodara in April 2023.