“Kadambari”
Today, we have a beautiful painting from the great Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma.
“Kadambari”, also known as “Music Hath Charms”, is an oil on canvas painting by the artist, Raja Ravi Varma, from circa 1906. This was the last painting Varma made before his death at 58 years old.
In this beautiful painting, Varma depicts a lady, Kadambari, playing a sitar. She is seated on a marble bench focused on the instrument. Her legs are crossed revealing her velvet slippers, with one kicked off her foot onto the ground. She is dressed richly with layers of ornate and colorful fabric, all uniquely textured. She has a flower in her hair, with three picked flowers next to her on the bench. Fine jewelry adorns her ears, neck, wrists, and fingers. Greenery frames the canvas.
Raja Ravi Varma’s brother, C. Raja Raja Varma, assisted him with this piece. The two brothers often collaborated with each other. Varma created several versions of this piece, including chromolithograph printed versions which were much more accessible to the general public, further popularizing his art.
Varma was a Malayali Indian artist who lived from 1848 to 1906. He is credited with bridging the style between traditional Indian art and European academic art. He is known for painting both scenes from Indian mythology as well as portraits of beautiful women.
“Kadambari” is currently in the collections of the Sree Chitra Art Gallery in Trivandrum, Kerala in southern India.
For more on Raja Ravi Varma, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
