Which self-taught artist mastered the style of academic realism and used it to depict scenes from popular epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Raja Ravi Varma
Option (1) Abanindranath Tagore — Incorrect. Abanindranath Tagore led the Bengal School. He looked to Mughal and Pahari miniatures, not academic realism.
Option (2) Raja Ravi Varma — Correct. Raja Ravi Varma of the Travancore Court was self-taught. He mastered academic realism by imitating copies of European paintings and used it for scenes from the epics.
Option (3) Jamini Roy — Incorrect. Jamini Roy had academic training in the colonial Art School but rejected it for the flat, colourful style of folk painting.
Option (4) Nandalal Bose — Incorrect. Nandalal Bose, a student of Abanindranath, drew on the folk art forms he saw around Shantiniketan.
NCERT (2026-27): “Raja Ravi Varma …The most successful examples of this type of painting were found away from these art schools. They are best seen in the works produced by self-taught artist, Raja Ravi Varma of the Travancore Court in Kerala. By imitating copies of European paintings popular in Indian palaces, he mastered the style of academic realism and used it to depict scenes from popular epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. They became so popular that many of his paintings were copied as oleographs and were sold in market. They even entered people’s homes as calendar images.” |