Which qualities are Raja Ravi Varma’s Puranic theme paintings, such as Rama Vanquishing the Pride of the Ocean, meant to have?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Noble, momentous and emotional
Option (1) Soft, misty and impressionistic — Incorrect. This is the effect of the wash technique, as in Abanindranath Tagore’s Journey’s End. Ravi Varma painted in oil.
Option (2) Rustic, modest and idyllic — Incorrect. Rustic figures, modest gestures and idyllic settings mark the wash paintings of Kshitindranath Majumdar, such as Rasa-Lila.
Option (3) Noble, momentous and emotional — Correct. Ravi Varma’s large scenes of dramatic action are meant to be noble, momentous and emotional.
Option (4) Simple, flat and colourful — Incorrect. Jamini Roy took up the flat and colourful style of folk painting and wanted his works simple.
NCERT (2026-27): “Rama Vanquishing the Pride of the Ocean This is a Puranic (ancient mythological stories) theme painted by Raja Ravi Varma. He was one of the first Indian painters to use oil paint and master the art of lithographic reproduction for mythological subject. These paintings are, generally, large ones, depicting a historic moment or scene from an epic or a classical text, painted in the midst of a dramatic action. It is intended to be noble, momentous and emotional.”
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