Ravishankar Raval
Encyclopedia
Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval (August 1, 1892–1977) was a painter, art teacher, art critic, journalist and essayist from Gujarat, India
,
He worked for the magazine Vismi Sadi until it closed in 1921, and then founded the cultural magazine Kumar.
In 1970, he was named a fellow of the Indian Art Academy.
, art teacher, art critic
, journalist
and essayist from Gujarat, India (1892–1977)
For centuries, the State Gujarat in India has remained a center of Indian business and commerce. Its people have been proven traders globally. During the early part of the 20th century Gujarati
community was taunted as money hungry and devoid of culture. Only painter the average Gujarati knew was a signboard painter.
In that situation, Ravishankar Raval made a remarkable effort of establishing the status of art in Gujarat. Besides he himself being a well-known artist, he produced a completely new cadre of accomplished young artists. Well-known Gujarati
author Kakasaheb Kalelkar titled him Kalaguru (in Sanskrit, meaning a grand master of art). Even today, a large number of his students are teaching art in the schools of Gujarat.
Dr.A.Koomarswamy, H.B.Havel and Rabindranath Tagore
took great pains to make Indian artists and art lovers understand and inspire from Indian art
and not to cling to the British academic style of the British Raj
. In Gujarat, Kalaguru Raval made great efforts in the same direction and brought about the renaissance
of Indian art. Although his formal art training took place under the principal Cecil S.Burns of J.J.School of Art, he evolved his own rich style as inspired by the ancient Indian classical painting traditions.
. As his father was an officer in the British Post
and Telegraph Service, family was transferred often from town to town, which gave the young Ravishankar many opportunities to meet a wide cross section of the folk culture of Gujarat. Later in his diary, he writes,” No one in my family was an artist so I cannot claim a direct heritage of art from any one. However, I received my artistic instincts from my mother. She was a cultured and well-organized person. I would say that I got my art psyche from her”. As a little boy, he would borrow the red-blue pencils from his postmaster father’s office desk and sketch the objects around him. In addition, for the rest of his life he was never seen idle without his sketching pad. That made him a master illustrator.
, responded, “Be practical. Be an engineer. Drawing doodle
s would not get you anywhere.” Disappointed, the younger Raval mumbled,”College classes bore me. My heart is in art.” The artist in Ravishankar won over the engineer and he procured admission in J.J.School of Arts at Bombay a major cosmopolitan city compared to his hometown.
Besides an exceptionally brilliant school career at J.J.School of Arts, the student Ravishankar was exposed to the prominent writers, thinkers, journalists of that time. In 1915, he met a prominent journalist Hajji Mohammad Alarakhiya, who was looking for a young artist-illustrator for his new cultural magazine “VISMI SADI” (20th Century).Hajji gave him the job. That contact gave a brand new purpose to his life mission. He worked for VISMI SADI for many years until its closing with the premature death of its creator Haji Mohammad in 1921. Though Hajji’s death was a terrible blow to young artist Raval, he was inspired to start an avant-garde cultural magazine “KUMAR” at Ahmedabad in 1924, which is still being published 79 years later.
His remarkable artwork in CHANDAPOLI a Gujarati kid's magazin,Kailash ma ratri(A night at Mt.Kailash).He also drew many sketches about Hemchandracharya,Chandra kaumudi,AKHO and the characters of Kanaiyalal Munshi's novels.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
,
He worked for the magazine Vismi Sadi until it closed in 1921, and then founded the cultural magazine Kumar.
In 1970, he was named a fellow of the Indian Art Academy.
Background
Ravishankar Raval is greatest Indian artist known in the North-West part of India. Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval-a painterPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, art teacher, art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and essayist from Gujarat, India (1892–1977)
For centuries, the State Gujarat in India has remained a center of Indian business and commerce. Its people have been proven traders globally. During the early part of the 20th century Gujarati
Gujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
community was taunted as money hungry and devoid of culture. Only painter the average Gujarati knew was a signboard painter.
In that situation, Ravishankar Raval made a remarkable effort of establishing the status of art in Gujarat. Besides he himself being a well-known artist, he produced a completely new cadre of accomplished young artists. Well-known Gujarati
Gujarati literature
The history of Gujarati literature may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers...
author Kakasaheb Kalelkar titled him Kalaguru (in Sanskrit, meaning a grand master of art). Even today, a large number of his students are teaching art in the schools of Gujarat.
Dr.A.Koomarswamy, H.B.Havel and Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
took great pains to make Indian artists and art lovers understand and inspire from Indian art
Indian art
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is...
and not to cling to the British academic style of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. In Gujarat, Kalaguru Raval made great efforts in the same direction and brought about the renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
of Indian art. Although his formal art training took place under the principal Cecil S.Burns of J.J.School of Art, he evolved his own rich style as inspired by the ancient Indian classical painting traditions.
Personal information
Ravishankar Raval was born on August 1, 1892 at BhavnagarBhavnagar
-Topography:Bhavnagar is a coastal city in the eastern coast of Saurashtra, also known as Kathiawar, located at . It has an average elevation of 24 metres . It occupies area of 53.30 km². General slope dips in the northeasterly direction at the apex of Gulf of Khambhat...
. As his father was an officer in the British Post
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
and Telegraph Service, family was transferred often from town to town, which gave the young Ravishankar many opportunities to meet a wide cross section of the folk culture of Gujarat. Later in his diary, he writes,” No one in my family was an artist so I cannot claim a direct heritage of art from any one. However, I received my artistic instincts from my mother. She was a cultured and well-organized person. I would say that I got my art psyche from her”. As a little boy, he would borrow the red-blue pencils from his postmaster father’s office desk and sketch the objects around him. In addition, for the rest of his life he was never seen idle without his sketching pad. That made him a master illustrator.
Career
During his first university year at the local Arts College, his principal asked him to paint the stage sets for the college drama festival. He was pleased with young Raval’s work and remarked, “Youngman, do not waste your time here, go to Bombay and join the art school.” This comment homed into the secret ambitions in the mental recesses of Ravishankar. When he expressed his wish to his father, a seasoned government bureaucratBureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a government or corporation...
, responded, “Be practical. Be an engineer. Drawing doodle
Doodle
A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes....
s would not get you anywhere.” Disappointed, the younger Raval mumbled,”College classes bore me. My heart is in art.” The artist in Ravishankar won over the engineer and he procured admission in J.J.School of Arts at Bombay a major cosmopolitan city compared to his hometown.
Besides an exceptionally brilliant school career at J.J.School of Arts, the student Ravishankar was exposed to the prominent writers, thinkers, journalists of that time. In 1915, he met a prominent journalist Hajji Mohammad Alarakhiya, who was looking for a young artist-illustrator for his new cultural magazine “VISMI SADI” (20th Century).Hajji gave him the job. That contact gave a brand new purpose to his life mission. He worked for VISMI SADI for many years until its closing with the premature death of its creator Haji Mohammad in 1921. Though Hajji’s death was a terrible blow to young artist Raval, he was inspired to start an avant-garde cultural magazine “KUMAR” at Ahmedabad in 1924, which is still being published 79 years later.
His remarkable artwork in CHANDAPOLI a Gujarati kid's magazin,Kailash ma ratri(A night at Mt.Kailash).He also drew many sketches about Hemchandracharya,Chandra kaumudi,AKHO and the characters of Kanaiyalal Munshi's novels.
Life Chronology
- 1918 onwards till his death in 1977; Ravishankar Raval lived and flourished in the city of AhmedabadAhmedabadAhmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
with his ever-increasing involvement in the art world. Following are the outstanding milestones of his life:
- 1909 High school graduation. Marriage with his lifelong wife Ramaben
- 1916 Mayo Gold Medal at Sir J. J. School of ArtSir J. J. School of ArtThe Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art , is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai...
- 1917 Gold medal from the Bombay Art SocietyBombay Art SocietyThe Bombay Art Society is an arts organisation based in Mumbai that was founded in 1888. Current President of the Society is Prafulla Dahanukar who was elected on 15th May 2010....
- 1919 Started art school in AhmedabadAhmedabadAhmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
in the ancient tradition of GurukulGurukulA gurukul is a type of school in India, residential in nature, with shishyas living in proximity to the guru, often within the same house...
, which never charged tuition fees. Even poor students received free art supplies from KALAGURU.
- 1923 Second prize in art-in-industry Expo at Calcutta
- 1924 Start of the cultural magazine KUMAR
- 1927 A month long art study of the 1st century Buddhist frescos of the Ajanta Caves
- 1930 Endowed with the prestigious literary Ranjitram Gold Medal for his art essays
- 1936 Three months art tour of JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- 1941 Art tour of Tagore’s university SantiniketanSantiniketanSantiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata . It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town that attracts thousands of visitors each year...
- 1941 President of Art Society of India
- 1941 President of Bombay Art Society
- 1948 House guest of the Russian artist Nicholas RoerichNicholas RoerichNicholas Roerich, also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh , was a Russian mystic, painter, philosopher, scientist, writer, traveler, and public figure. A prolific artist, he created thousands of paintings and about 30 literary works...
at his Kulu art center
- 1951 All India Art Conference at Calcutta
- 1952 Art tour of Soviet RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- 1965 Nehru Award for his book on RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- 1965 Government of India honored him with the title Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
- 1970 Fellow of the Indian Art Academy
- 1977 Died peacefully after a short sickness at 11 a.m. in his own house CHITRAKOOT at AhmedabadAhmedabadAhmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
. After taking leave of his lifelong devoted wife Ramaben, he closed his eyes with the ultimate sound of the holy mantra “Aum Namah Shivay” (Homage to Lord Shiva) on his lips.
External links
- http://www.ravishankarmraval.org/