Lawyer documents Raja Ravi Varma’s impact on Indian art
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Ganesh Shivaswamy, a lawyer from Bengaluru, India, has become a noted scholar of the 19th-century painter Raja Ravi Varma.
Shivaswamy’s interest in Varma’s work began as a teenager during his recovery from a pituitary gland tumour. His doctor, a family friend connected to the Varma family, encouraged him to find energy through art. Shivaswamy began collecting affordable prints of Varma’s paintings that were being discarded as old homes in Bengaluru were demolished.
He recognised that Varma’s art uniquely connected with everyday Indians, extending beyond museums and patrons to reach people like autorickshaw drivers who displayed images of goddesses in their vehicles. Varma’s use of “oleograph” prints also made his work widely accessible. Shivaswamy is authoring a six-volume series, Raja Ravi Varma: An Everlasting Imprint, focusing on how the public responded to Varma’s art rather than solely on royal patronage.
He applies skills from his legal background, reconstructing facts and building narratives from indirect evidence, to his art historical research, demanding validation for any new claim through supporting evidence. He currently dedicates about 20% of his time to the project, balancing it with his law practice and family life.
