Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter born in 1848 in Kerala who is considered one of the greatest painters in Indian art history. He came from an aristocratic family and learned European oil painting techniques which he fused with Indian sensibilities and subjects from Hindu epics and mythology. His paintings popularized Indian art among the common people of India through affordable lithographs. Some of his most famous works depict Hindu goddesses like Saraswati and Durga as well as scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.