   raja ravi varma (29 april 1848 â 2 october 1906) was an indian painter and artist from the princely state of kilimanoor (presently in kerala) who achieved recognition for his paintings depicting scenes from indian literature and mythology including the epics of mahabharata and ramayana. he is considered among the greatest painters in the history of indian art and his paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of indian traditions with the techniques of european academic art . varma's paintings portrayed sari-clad women in graceful manner which became an important motif of that time, reproductions being found in many homes. ==art career== varma was patronized by rajah ayilyam thirunal of travancore and began formal training thereafter."the diary of c. rajaraja varma" he learned the basics of painting in madurai. later, he was trained in water painting by rama swami naidu and in oil painting by dutch portraitist theodor jenson.  varma received widespread acclaim after he won an award for an exhibition of his paintings at vienna in 1873. varma's paintings were also sent to the world's columbian exposition held in chicago in 1893 and he was awarded three gold medals.kilimanoor chandran, ravi varmayum chitrakalayum(in malayalam), department of culture, kerala, 1998. he travelled throughout india in search of subjects. he often modelled hindu goddesses on south indian women, whom he considered beautiful. ravi varma is particularly noted for his paintings depicting epis
1848_births 1906_deaths Academic_art Indian_painters Kingdom_of_Travancore Malayali_people People_from_Kerala People_from_Thiruvananthapuram Recipients_of_the_Kaisar-i-Hind_Medal