Normally I am not a big fan of Indian art, a quick trip to the National Museum in Delhi will explain better than I could. Indian painters seem to have got stuck in early cubism, but have never really worked the palette out. Raja Ravi Varma is a painter I like though as I just read an article on him in the “Indian Outlook” magazine. I caught it while sitting in the “Open Palm” restaurant eating a tuna fish sandwich with cucumber and pickle and drinking a raspberry ice tea (I was feeling particularly American at the time!) He is thought to be an influential artist in the modern depictions of many of India’s Gods. He became greatly known throughout India through his use of Lithography to reproduce his famous works. Here is one of his famous paintings of the goddess Lakshmi.
I also bought a few books today near the river, having a good art book selection, I asked the clerk who he thought the most famous Indian photographer was. He answered immediately, “Raghu Rai.” His assistant pulled down a book for me to leaf through. I was quick and careful, as the book cost 5950 Rupees ($150). He stood out as someone I should have heard of, especially as he is a Magnum photographer. This incredibly disturbing image from the Bhopal disaster is one that I remember having seen before.
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