Published at the Ravi Varma Press, Malavli, Lonavla
chromolithograph with fabric appliqué
The adolescent Krishna plays his bamboo flute (venu) beneath a flowering kadamba tree. The God stands on a rock with his feet in padasvastika (crossed at the ankles), and his hair is tied in the characteristic topknot, embellished with jewels and a peacock feather. He wears a red sash across his shoulders and is regally bedecked with jewellery and a floral garland. A cow rubs itself against Krishna’s legs and licks the sole of his raised foot while two diminutive cows are show on either side of the god. Two gopis stand in adoration to either side.
Oleographs, also called chromolithographs, are multi-colour art prints, stemming from the process of lithography. These immensely popular oleographs from the Ravi Varma press quickly set a new iconographical standard for the traditional Indian heroes and deities. Often the figures were embellished with embroidered sequins and other decorative material, creating vibrant pulsating images. After Ravi Varma was forced to sell the press along with the reproduction rights in 1901, the press began producing work by other contemporaries of Ravi Varma including C.G. Ramanujam, producing equally vibrant work with new themes and subjects. The influence of the oleographs from this press is still felt strongly in modern Indian popular art forms such as calendar art.
Image Size (cms): 49.5 (H) x 34.5 (W)
Image Size (inches): 19.5 (H) x 13.6 (W)
Framed Size (cms): 62 (H) x 48.5 (W)
Framed Size (inches): 24.5 (H) x 19 (W)
