Introduction to the artist’s style
Rukmini Varma’s first show after 35 years was an affirmation of the artist’s rare status as India’s foremost woman painter in the Visionary Realism tradition. She herself refers to her style as Romantic Representative Realism, and is possibly the only Indian woman who paints in this style.
Academic Realism has been in existence for the last 450 years in Western art, where it has been well-known. In India it has been around for 100 or more years and our greatest modern painter Raja Ravi Varma was its most important exponent in the 19th century. Rukmini Varma, his great-great- granddaughter and also his successor in this regard, has been an exponent of Visionary Realism since she began painting from her childhood and perfected the art in the mid-1950s.
Rukmini Varma is the only woman artist who paints in this genre.
Latest Works
Hidden Truth - Raja Ravi Varma: The Inside Story
Opulence & Eternity Series
Earlier Works
“The canvases encompass a diverse range of historical as well as legendary themes, and are simply breathtaking in splendour and style. The gems and jewels come alive on the men and women who occupy scenes of high drama and metaphoric meaning.”
Gitanjali Maini
Gitanjali Maini, Managing Director gallery g, Managing Trustee TRRVHF
“As an artist who not only keeps alive Raja Ravi Varma’s legacy, but is also his direct descendant, Rukmini Varma is a remarkable source of stories, anecdotes, and the most fascinating details about this legendary Indian painter, viewing him not only as her ancestor but also as a creative force who opened a whole new chapter in India’s artistic tradition. Rukmini Varma offers to unravel the story of Ravi Varma and all that made him the person he was, from a perspective that is both new but also intimate and deeply personal - a combination that is especially inviting.”