Dushyanta and Shakuntala Oil Painting on Canvas (A Reproduction of Work by Raja Ravi Varma)

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Painting is a way of exploring the external world, the reality of which is momentarily unquestioned. The epics and Sanskrit classics provide the artists various themes to draw from. The painted narrative takes place in a hermitage where Dushyanta in the guise of a hermit draws Shakuntala closer.

Shakuntala, on her part is coy and tries to resist his advances. The artist has used a tall, muscular, bearded and mustachioed youthful type with a romantic posture to fit the image of the hero. He has not taken the help of diaphanous clothes or bare skin to play upon the sensuality and fullness of the heroine's body. The tactile gloss of her costume and jewellery is eye-catching.

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Time required to recreate this artwork

4 to 6 weeks

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Item Code:	OP81
Specifications:	Oil on Canvas
Dimensions	3.0 ft x 4.0 ft

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100% Made in India

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The painting is expressive and emotive at the same time. The tenderness on the man's face is so real, as is the desire, yet restraint on the woman's face. The gestures reflect the same emotion in a louder tone.

The artist has contemporarized the traditional folklore, especially in terms of colour palette.

The background constitutes an important aspect of the composition. The bamboo grove is full of mild diffused illumination and hazy vibrant foliage and the figures do not stand isolated from their surroundings.

This description by Renu Rana.

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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