Portrait of a Lady Reading a Letter

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Item Code:	OS24
Specifications:	Oil on Canvas with 24 Karat Gold
Dimensions	24.0 inches X 36.0 inches

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100% Made in India

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This magnificent portrait of a lady from society’s upper strata, characteristic to the late 19th century Indian elite, feudatory or rich, that comprised the theme of hundreds of Bazaar paintings, a style of Indian art that evolved around 1880-90, when more than a millennium old miniature painting was almost on the verge of collapse, is so life-like that one feels that the painted figure would relinquish the canvas and begin walking any moment. This new art-style, widely known as Modern painting, besides as the Bazaar art, largely a realistic art, records the cultural revival, as reflected in the actual life those days, mainly in the style of costumes of feudatory and rich, the preference shifting from ‘jama’ or ‘pajama’ type sewn costumes to unstitched ‘sari’ and its components. Portrait-painting was the high mark of this new painting form and Raja Ravi Verma, one of the founders of this art school, the creator of many timeless masterpieces and one who gave to Indian art a new identity, led to the art of portrait painting to its ever greatest heights. As attempts this painting too, rendered pursuing his model, Raja Ravi Verma innovated a new portrait form, a likeness with a theme, not the idle likeness fitted into a dead frame, as was often the case in miniature painting. He introduced the concept of portrait-based composition as also of the mythological portraits.

This portrait of the lady, lost in old memories while reading a letter, portrayed as leaning on a table, a piece of furniture in the 19th century European style, endowed with such finish, sophistication, magnificence and perfect execution, takes the viewing eye to the heights of grandeur to which Raja Ravi Verma led the art of Indian portrait. It also takes the viewing eye to one of his best known portraits on the same theme, to which it is an equivalent in many aspects : in modeling of the figure, rendering figure’s emotional quality, colours’ effectiveness, ease with which the artist has captured his subject’s posture, in creating the ambience and in attaining the same aesthetic levels. As effective is figure’s iconographic perception. Her round face has been brilliantly balanced with a prominent forehead, deep large eyes, sharp nose with a small ring inlaid with a ruby, receding chin which a patch of shaded light highlights, and her well defined fine lips. There is hardly anything extraordinary in her face, it is however fascinatingly beautiful.

Rendered in oil pursuing the tradition of Raja Ravi Verma this painting portrays a lady in her advanced youth seated on a chair besides a table with a beautiful tablecloth laid over it. She holds in her left hand a letter and her eyes are directed to it but in them descend some old memory, not the letter’s contents. Her realistically rendered image is unique in vigour and effectiveness. Whatever of it might reveal in a single figure, in her wear, her traditional sari covering her head and a part of it held on her left hand, and her blouse conceived with graceful neck opening, her glass bangles, ‘bindi’ – small round dot on her forehead, painted palms and fingers, and jewellery, especially the pendant around the parting of her hair, besides a mind as reflects in the demeanour of her face, are forms of a culture that defines India and her essential life-style. In its realism, perspectives, dynamism, light and shade effects and breadth of canvas the painting is simple unique.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Oil painting technique – India centric

Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.

Canvas of the required size is prepared

The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.

Sketch is drawn on the canvas

Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.

Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives

Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.

Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.

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