---
title: "Beyond the Master: Sharat Sunder Rajeev Unearths Travancore’s Hidden Artistic Guilds"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/forgotten-atelier-sharat-sunder-rajeev-travancore-art-history-mk5w8
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
published: 2026-08-06T07:48:54.000Z
modified: 2026-08-06T10:02:23.925Z
language: en-IN
---

# Beyond the Master: Sharat Sunder Rajeev Unearths Travancore’s Hidden Artistic Guilds

Academic Sharat Sunder Rajeev’s latest work, The Forgotten Atelier, reconstructs the diverse history of Kerala’s art scene beyond the fame of Raja Ravi Varma. The book utilizes oral histories and private archives to highlight marginalized female painters and itinerant masters who defined the era.

## Key takeaways

- Raja Ravi Varma’s artistic lineage actually began with his grandmother’s generation of female painters.
- Ramaswamy Naidu was a significant court rival to Ravi Varma and an early Indian master of Western oil painting.
- Deccani and Tanjore art styles migrated to Kerala through 19th-century political alliances and administrative shifts.
- The book utilizes rare family archives to document artists who left behind no written records or signed works.

## Why It Matters

While Raja Ravi Varma is frequently cited as the sole architect of modern Kerala art, his success emerged from a complex, pre-existing ecosystem of talent. Sharat Sunder Rajeev, a professor at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, argues that focusing exclusively on Varma obscures a diverse network of regional and international influences. By recovering the names of overlooked masters, the research provides a more complete map of the cultural exchange between Indian royal courts and European practitioners.

## The Hidden Matriarchy of Kilimanoor

Contrary to the narrative of a solitary male genius, the artistic lineage at Kilimanoor began with women. Rajeev identifies Rohininaal Tampuratti and Makamnaal Kunjikavu Tampuratti as the foundational painters of the family, allegedly trained by fugitive princes from British Malabar. This tradition extended to Ravi Varma’s sister, Mangala Bayi, whose work, such as the painting Bharatha, demonstrates a high degree of technical skill despite the social restrictions that limited her public exposure. This female artistic line remains active today through Ravi Varma’s great-great-granddaughter, Rukmini Varma.

## Key Facts

- The Forgotten Rival: Ramaswamy Naidu, a member of the Madurai Naidu community, was one of the first Indians to master Western oil painting. He served the Travancore court alongside Ravi Varma, though his early death and lack of signed works led to his historical erasure.
- Trans-Regional Exchange: The introduction of Deccani styles to Kerala resulted from political alliances during the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the appointment of Marathi Brahmin ministers like Subba Rao, who brought Tanjore artists to the court.
- European Influence: Western realism arrived as early as the late 18th century, beginning with a portrait exchange between Pope Clement XIV and the Maharajah.
- Source Material: The research draws from previously unexamined family archives, temple records, and oral testimonies provided by the descendants of court painters.

## Background

The 19th-century Travancore court functioned as a melting pot where Deccani miniature techniques, Company style aesthetics, and European academic realism converged. Artists known as Moochy painters, often from heterogeneous backgrounds, formed the backbone of this creative community. Rajeev’s work emphasizes that art history is essentially a history of movement, driven by the shifting tides of trade, warfare, and colonial administration.

Source: The Hindu – Entertainment

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/forgotten-atelier-sharat-sunder-rajeev-travancore-art-history-mk5w8
Reported from: The Hindu – Entertainment