6/06/2014

Paintings Of Ravi Varma And Jon Mcnaughton

By Darren Hartley


Ravi Varma paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art. Ravi's exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in the Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873.

The maturity and completeness of mature Ravi Varma paintings came about in the later years spent by Ravi in Mysore, Baroda and other parts of the country. It was then that he sharpened and expanded his skills to full blossom. This was after he discovered and learned of new techniques and media in the field of painting during his stay at the royal palace of Thiruvananthapuram.

Ravi Varma paintings are broadly classified into portraits, portrait-based compositions and theatrical compositions based on myths and legends. Ravi's popularity immensely lay in the third categorization of his work while his merit as an exceedingly sensitive and competent artist was proven in the first two categorizations.

Instrumental to the development of Jon McNaughton paintings was Jon's deep love for the land of his pioneer heritage. These roots traces back to the small town of Grafton, Utah. The great promise that Jon showed at an early age led to a full scholarship to the Brigham Young University.

Because the artists from the French Barbizon School of painting drew during the 19th century, few artists today follow in their footsteps. However, Jon McNaughton paintings drew their inspiration from these Barbizon artists. Artists such as Monet, Pissarro, Van Gogh and Renoir actually made frequent references to these artists so Jon was not alone in his conviction.

Jon McNaughton paintings are described as the essence of nature. They were painted from memory after spending many hours of observation and study of the varying nuances of landscapes. The inspiration for a beautiful painting is derived from mental notations and occasional pencil sketches, never from photographs. Jon believes that only the basic elements of a beautiful painting actually exist in nature.




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