KOCHI: It would be an understatement to say that Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings have enamoured and bewitched many. While for centuries, artists have tried to copy his masterstrokes, photographers in more recent times have attempted to recreate his compositions. But hardly anyone has breathed life into his iconic frames like Ann Mathew. A communication design student based in Bengaluru, Ann has reimagined Ravi Varma’s Radha (Radha in Moonlight, 1890) posing patiently by the flowing river waiting for the artist to complete her sketch. She blinks a few times, just like how Ravi Varma would have seen her at the moment of his creation. And then there is ‘Kadambari’ (1890), static in the original painting but Ann adds motion to her hands. She strums the sitar while a branch from a vine seems to sway gently to the music.
The idea of animating the great master’s iconic compositions occurred to Ann while she was working on a project for college on the psychological connection between art and music. “I was trying to study how art affects music and vice versa. There is a concept called synesthesia where certain people, when they listen to music, see colour. For this, I researched a lot about Indian classical art and music. Also, I have always admired Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings so I wondered if I could see what the artist was seeing or feeling while creating a piece of work,” says the 21-year-old.
So she added small gestures to his paintings, capturing his muses in motion. Take for example Radha’s shy smirk as the frame zooms in on her or the slight sway of the protagonist’s earrings in ‘Lady with Swarbat’ (1874), it is through these nuances that Ann’s transports you to the very setting of Ravi Varma’s creations. As if you are standing right behind him, sharing his line of view or a piece of his fertile imagination.
In tune with her college project, Ann’s initial attempts on ‘Kadambari’ and ‘Lady with Swarbat’ explored the synthesis between art and music but it is her work on ‘Mohini’ (1890) that is truly striking. Taking a cue from a very few collections of paintings in the Ravi Varma oeuvre where the protagonist is not stationary, Ann has let her creative skill fly along with her subject. Mohini is mid-air, swinging euphorically from a tree branch while her diaphanous white saree flutters in the breeze. The frame, accompanied by sitar composer Anoushka Shankar’s ‘Voice of the Moon’ further elevates the master’s original composition, a feat many consider impossible.
Despite being an art and craft enthusiast as a child, Ann never really thought of design as a career option while growing up. “To be honest, I was going to do engineering until the last moment in Class XII. But I was lucky enough to come across a few design courses and realised this is what I wanted to do. I didn’t have a lot of time to study for my design entrance exams but attempted them anyway and got through to PES University in Bengaluru,” says Ann who has recently completed her third year of bachelors. Familiar with various tools of graphic design and editing, Ann uses a combination of Adobe Photoshop and After Effects.
“I first split the painting in layers and then I decide what elements I want to add movement to. For example, if I want to move a hand, I have to add the background for the space behind the hand which matches with the rest of the painting. The whole process takes about three to four hours if I sit with it without a break,” says the Idukki native who is currently interning at a design and advertising firm. Not yet sated with her love for Ravi Varma, Ann plans to animate a few more of his paintings before branching out to other artists. You can find her work on Instagram @aun_madew or on her self-developed website annmatheww.com.