Raja Ravi Varma is one of the few Indian artists who is ubiquitous in his presence across Indian households. From calendar art to soap advertisements, tracing the art works of the 19th century artist, Osianama and Tao Art Gallery are hosting an exhibition along with seminars, lectures and debate. Osian’s founder chairman Neville Tuli will be opening the event while conservator Rupika Chawla and film scholar Ashish Rajadhyaksha will deliver lectures. Also, an array of speakers such as Ranjit Hoskote, Amit Khanna, Ketan Mehta, Q, and Kamal Swaroop including Tuli will participate in a debate titled, Where do we draw the line?

Original Raja Ravi Varma image, which was then later used for advertisements

Tuli explains, “Whether we like it or not, whether it is perceived to be positive or negative, the western academic style adopted by Raja Ravi Varma while choosing Indian themes from our epics and myths has had a profound influence on the way the Indian public perceives visual imagery.” He adds that the inherent conservatism of Ravi Varma’s style, though bold to some extent for its times, has to a large extent coloured the way we perceive not just our gods and goddesses, but also other human beings (who to some extent are seen relative to gods and goddesses).