“Shakuntala – Looks of Love”
This whimsical oil on canvas piece, titled “Shakuntala – Looks of Love”, is by the Malayali Indian artist, Raja Ravi Varma, from 1870. It depicts Shakuntala, a character from the Mahabaratha, one of the two major Sanskrit epic stories from India. She is the mother of Emperor Bharata who founded the Bhārata dynasty.
In this piece, Varma painted Shakuntala as she pretends to remove a thorn from her foot. Secretly, Shakuntala is looking for her lover, Dushyantha.
This is one of the many pieces of Shakuntala that Varma painted. The Mahabaratha is the longest Indian epic story with 1.8 million words. It has about ten times more words than both the Iliad and Odyssey combined!
Raja Ravi Varma is considered by many to be the greatest Indian artist of all time. He is credited with bridging the style from traditional Indian art to European academic art.
“Shakuntala – Looks of Love” is currently on display at the Sri Chitra Art Gallery in Trivandrum, Kerala, India along with many other of his works.
For more on Raja Ravi Varma, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
