As excitement surrounds with the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya we look at some of the famous artists or artworks which had Gods as the pivotal structure in the artwork. When it comes to mythology and Gods, an artist who immediately comes to the mind is the Royal painter Raja Ravi Varma. Ravi Varma’s art was always centered around Gods, mythology and characters depicting Indian culture.

Deeply rooted in Indian culture Raja Ravi Varma’s works showed Goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswati and other Gods as most of his narrative was based on the same.

Another artist who was controversial but is undoubtedly India’s most famous name globally is MF Husain. Husain worked on several series based on Hindu Mythology namely the Ganesha series, Krishna Leela to name some. Hailing from Sholapur Husain was impacted by God Ganesha and the mythology surrounding the God and hence created several artworks based on Lord Ganesha. Krishna and his leelas were of significance for him so his works depict small stories of Krishna leela.

Another artist who predominantly painted Gods was Manjit Bawa. Bawa’s technique of painting very fine art can hardly be mastered by many. He predominantly showcased Ganesha and Krishna grazing with cows which later on became a focal point for his works.

Fn Souza also was an artist who predominantly depicted Churches and Christ in many of his works. One of Bangalore’s own BKS Varma who recently passed away was popular for his realistic depiction of Gods. Pichwais in Rajasthan is also a style that depicts Gods predominantly Krishna and Tanjore style paintings are centered around Indian Mythological Gods.

Artists in our country often have been fascinated with Gods and with a diverse country like ours, it is amazing to see so many masters had taken inspiration from Gods and their stories and created masterpieces which we still cherish today.

• The author of this column is art curator.