Background
India is an ancient civilization that has been in existence from 5000 BC. During this vast span India has produced works of great art, some of which is erotic. This is so for the simple reason that eroticism is an essential part of Hindu thought.
Modern Painting
India has been home to great painters. One of the greatest painters was Raja Ravi Varna who is considered as the Father of Modern Indian Art. His granddaughter Rukmini Varma who was born in 1940 has carried on the legacy of art of the house of Travancore.
Rukmini ‘s title is Her Highness Bharani Tirunal Rukmini Bayi Tampuran, Fourth Princess of Travancore. She hails from a dynasty that traces its lineage back to 1200 years.
Childhood: Rukmini Varma
Her early life was like an idyllic fairy tale. She grew up in Satelmond Palace in Trivandrum. Right from her young age art came naturally to Rukmini. She grew up as a royal princess and was given her first set of brushes and paint when she was only 6. She started painting at a young age and soon was studying and reading about the great masters of art like Rembrandt, Rubens, and Caravaggio. She also master the ancient Indian dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam and Kathak
After 1947
After 1947 there was a churning in India as the British Empire ceased to exist. Rukmini’s parents also put her in Public schools and private tutors in the palace were dispensed with. In 1949, the State of Travancore vanished from the map forever when it was merged with Independent India, and the royal family retired from active public life. They sold the Satelmond palace and retired to Bangalore. For the next 2 decades Rukmini did not paint much as she came to terms with a new life where there were no liveried servants, royal guards, and the ritualistic ceremonies of the palace
Return to Painting
Rukmini returned to painting for the simple reason that she loved to paint. She painted with vigor and by 1970 she had completed her first series of oil paintings, which were exhibited in Bangalore to positive reviews. Her second exhibition in 1973 saw 34 of the 39 paintings displayed being sold in a matter of days.
International Exposure
In 1976, upon invitation, Rukmini embarked on her first major international exhibition at India House in London, which was opened by Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India. He was impressed with her and asked she would paint a portrait of him in traditional Indian attire, wearing a turban and an achkan. She was also invited for fox hunting and picnicking with him on his country estate. However with his tragic death the promised portrait was not painted.
Further success
Subsequent exhibitions followed in Bonn, Cologne, and Neuenahr in Germany, along with invitations fromParis, Zurich, Madrid, and Rome. Queries for her work began to come in from collectors in Europe, America, Singapore, and the Middle East. In 1981 she had another highly successful exhibition in Bombay at theJehangir Art Gallery and at The Taj Art Gallery Her paintings of “flesh and gems” which had voluptuous nudes in mythological settings were a hit. She believed in celebration of the human, particularly female body..
Eroticism
Rukmini blazed a trail in India by painting characters from Hindu Mythology in the nude. No less a man than Swami Chinmayananda advised her not to paint Hindu Mythological characters in the nude, but she distanced herself from the advice.
This was the most productive phase of her career as she painted nudes from Mythology. She wrote : ‘I got fed up with all these restrictions. You couldn’t express yourself in the way you wanted. I am certain even Ravi Varma wanted to paint flesh as flesh is, without restrictions…’ Rukmini painted nudes from her ‘Pratiksha’ series was quietly sold into private collections in India and abroad, and was not exhibited anywhere so as not to provoke orthodoxy.
Divorce and Further art
In 1988 her youngest son died in a road accident. This had a devastating effect on her and for many years she refused to paint. In the mid-90s Rukmini picked up the brush to paint. Though she painted yet she remained almost a recluse and has refused to exhibit any paintings..
Last word
For the last 18 years Rukmini is living at Bangalore. She spends her time paining and at 73 remains a beautiful woman. There was a time when even Raj Kapoor wanted her for film roles, but she declined. Her paintings have blazed a new trail and many are exhibited abroad and in India.
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