The given image shows a famous painting. Choose the painter of this art work from the following options :
The given image shows a famous painting. Choose the painter of this art work from the following options :
Options
Option (D): Raja Ravi Varma — recognised for multi-figure, period-costume mythological/social paintings mass-reproduced as oleograph prints. (Verify against the exact textbook image if the printed figure differs.)
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: selecting option (D) — Raja Ravi Verma, correctly identified as the painter of the multi-figure period-costume artwork shown. No partial marks for MCQs.
Hint
Recall that Raja Ravi Varma's paintings — often mythological/period scenes with multiple figures — were mass-produced as oleograph prints in colonial India.
Quick Oral Answer
The painter is Raja Ravi Verma, known for mythological and period-costume paintings that were mass-reproduced as prints in colonial India — option (D).
Analysis & Explanation
Tests identification of artists linked to mass-reproduced prints, set in the chapter 'Print Culture and the Modern World'.
Concept
- Raja Ravi Varma painted mythological/social scenes with figures in period costume that were mass-produced as cheap oleograph prints, making his work widely circulated visual art of the era.
Key point
- Abanindranath Tagore is known instead for the single-figure 'Bharat Mata' (Swadeshi symbol), not multi-figure period scenes.
- Rabindranath Tagore was primarily a writer/poet, later a modernist painter, unrelated to this genre.
- Satyendranath Bishi is not a recognised painter in the NCERT print-culture narrative — a distractor.
Common mistakes
- Confusing image-identification questions with generic name familiarity; always cross-check the printed image against the NCERT reproduction before finalising.
Common Mistakes
- 1Confusing Raja Ravi Varma with Abanindranath Tagore, since both are famous colonial-era Indian painters covered in the same chapter.
- 2Assuming Rabindranath Tagore (the poet) is the painter simply because his name is more familiar to students.
- 3Not looking carefully at the number of figures and style in the image before selecting an option, since Bharat Mata (Tagore) is a single-figure painting while the given image has three figures.
Interesting Facts
Raja Ravi Varma set up his own printing press near Bombay in the 1890s specifically to mass-produce oleograph copies of his paintings for the growing middle-class market.
Ravi Varma's prints often depicted Hindu mythological scenes and were among the earliest instances of religious and cultural imagery being commercially mass-produced in India.
In contrast, Abanindranath Tagore's 'Bharat Mata' (1905) became an iconic nationalist symbol during the Swadeshi movement following the partition of Bengal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Raja Ravi Varma linked to print culture rather than just painting?
Because he set up a press to mass-produce oleograph (print) versions of his paintings, making his art some of the most widely circulated visual material in colonial India, directly relevant to the 'Print Culture' chapter.
How can I distinguish a Ravi Varma painting from a Tagore painting in an exam image?
Ravi Varma's works are typically realistic, multi-figure, and mythological/period scenes, while Abanindranath Tagore's iconic work 'Bharat Mata' is a single stylised nationalist figure in a simpler wash technique.