Portrait of a Lady

Ravi Varma was born into an aristocratic family of Kerala. He taught himself the intricacies of oil painting and the practices of European naturalism. He was an excellent portraitist who was not only able to efficiently create a likeness, but was able to depict the character as well. ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ not only impresses with the way the artist portrays the silken drapery, the flashing jewellery of a lady from an affluent family, her creamy complexion, but he also captures the strong matriarch in her.