Khadi, a canvas reimagines Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings on textile

If you look around your house, you will find one or two objects, such as vintage matchboxes, old calendars, or even a simple photograph depicting the faces of gods and goddesses by the painter Raja Ravi Varma. But how did the artist, who had European influences in his art, and with mostly commissioned works, find his way into the houses of the common people? Khadi, a canvas, weaves this story of democratisation of art from Raja Ravi Varma to Mahatma Gandhi’s Khadi. Curated by Lavina Baldota and presented by the Abheraj Baldota Foundation along with the textile artist Gaurang Shah and his team of weavers, this two-floored exhibition in TRI Art & Culture is a treat to the eyes.

Raja Ravi Varma’s extensive travels and observations of people are reflected in his paintings, where the facial features and expressions are very natural and realistic. Moreover, one would find how he weaves in cultural nuances through traditional jewellery, different sari drapes, and even the background, making his art depict people across cultures, traditions, and economic strata. With growing popularity came the Raja Ravi Varma Printing Press, where chromolithographs accompanied his works and were then replicated. Three of these chromolithographs have been displayed in a rare preservation effort after the press itself succumbed to fire. Japanese porcelain and German Majolica tiles on display also show his global influence.

Both Raja Ravi Varma and Gandhi are connected with the thread of reaching out to common people—one through art and the other through philosophy and the Swadeshi lifestyle, of which the primary is the use of Khadi, a homegrown textile. Gaurang Shah, with his team of tribal women weavers from Srikakulam, replicated these paintings through lateral traces on 18 Khadi sari pallus.

Interestingly, a few of these saris have the actual image laterally inverted, a flaw which was later rectified through the trial method. Moreover, looking closely at the designs, one can see the artistic liberty of the weavers with intricate background design details that do not appear on the original paintings, making the replication an original of sorts.

On display till April 26, 2026

At Tri Art & Culture, 53/2/2 Hazra Road, Ballygunge Kolkata

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