The Case of the Fake Ravi Varmas.
Live Mint 11 Oct. 2010
The boy with no name stands to stiff attention. He wears a crimson turban, his left hand holds a sword in its scabbard, and his neck and chest are freighted with jewels. His eyes, clear but dead, betray no emotion as they look directly at his painter. The canvas surface, stretched in a plain wooden frame, is speckled with white; at least in a photograph, the painting appears to have triumphed over the ravages of both time and fungus.
Full article :
http://www.livemint.com/2010/10/11194440/The-case-of-the-fake-Ravi-Varm.html?h=B The case of the fake Ravi Varmas, Once derided, the artist?s work is now so highly valued that a wave of fakes has invaded the market, Economy and Politics
Paintings of Ravi Varma : http://www.cyberkerala.com/rajaravivarma/
might interesting to know John Myatt, read story on http://www.museum-security.org/myatt-drewe.htm , to know how serious are auction houses in authenticating works. even they provide loan (sponsored bidding) for biding,
Dont know whether to feel happy at Raja Ravi Varma'a soaring popularity or sad about the chicanery!
Just as remixes of old hindi songs makes you happy that the present generation at least likes the tunes while it saddens you that they are cheap immitations shorn of original beauty of the old songs.
In that context I am firmly against remixes. Dont have any doubts about that.