The popular images of goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati that most of us have grown up with were created by Raja Ravi Verma (1848-1906). He also took art beyond the boundaries of palaces in the early 19th century to the drawing rooms and puja rooms of homes through his oleographs.
An oleograph is a print made with oil paint, and is made to look like an oil painting. Varma popularized this technique through his printing press in Mumbai (then Bombay), which he set up in 1894 to produce high-quality prints of his paintings. In the early 20th century, some oleographs made their way to Burma, where they were further embellished with embroidery and zardosi. The pieces with the zari work are truly collectable as each one is unique.
Ojas Art presents a rare opportunity for connoisseurs and collectors to see a rare collection of about eighty zari work oleographs in an upcoming exhibition opening on Sunday, October 22nd and the exhibition continues till December 6th.
“Each work is unique and cannot be replicated. The use of fabric is very unique and gives us an insight into the fashion trends of the era they were made in,” said Anubhav Nath, Curatorial Director, Ojas Art. Also, on display will be a special selection of oleographs that have been exhibited at the Asia Society Texas Center in 2014 and at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta in 2020.
