Levee Hall, the old Durbar Hall inside the Fort palace complex, is a treasure trove of old artworks. The majestic state portraits of Ayilyam Tirunal Rama Varma and Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma by Raja Ravi Varma rub shoulders with the works of earlier court artists such as Alagiri Naidu and the traditional Tanjore School artists. Sharing the same setting are the portraits by eminent artists such as K. Padmanabhan Thampi and N. Sivarama Pillai.
When Raja Ravi Varma painted a grandiose figure of young Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma, clad in his state robes, striking a pose so regal, his contemporary Sivarama Pillai painted a simple, but more faithful likeness of his patron. A popular oleograph of this painting, dated 1912, printed at Ravi Udaya Press, carries the note “Sitting specially given to H.H.’s most obedient servant N. Sivarama Pillai - Palace Artist,” a testimony to the fact that he was a favourite of the King.
Artist N. Sivarama Pillai, a.k.a. Thavottu Sivarama Pillai, remains elusive; in contrast to his huge artistic output, the information regarding Pillai’s personal life is scant. The members of Kulangara family, Palkulangara, claim to be the descendants of the artist’s nephew. However, they too know very little about their ancestor who was an early exponent of Western Academic Art in Travancore.
V. Narasimhan Thampi, a contemporary of the artist writes that Pillai was a pupil of Puthenchanda Arumugham Pillai, the guru of Raja Ravi Varma. Apart from this, nothing is known of the artist’s early life and career. Chevalier P.J. Cherian, the famed artist, also wrote of his association with Sivarama Pillai. In 1912, Cherian, after successfully completing his advanced training from Madras, enrolled at Sivarama Pillai’s studio ‘to enhance his painting skills’.
Further information on Sivarama Pillai can be extracted from the correspondence he maintained with his contemporaries. Pillai once wrote to the Superintendent of School of Arts, Trivandrum (now, College of Fine Arts College Kerala) of his visit to Madras for an art exhibition. In his private journal, artist K. Ramakrishnan Achari refers to his regular visits to Sivarama Pillai’s studio.
The artist, in his role as the Durbar Artist, had resided at the Thavottu Roadside Bungalow, at Palkulangara. The access to the house was through an arched gate with the name of the artist embossed in it, along with a model of a palette and brushes modelled in wood. The house had huge windows and a spacious hall that served as the artist’s studio. Later, the house was occupied by another Durbar artist, C. Neelakanta Pillai.
Sivarama Pillai, who enjoyed the patronage of the rulers, had access to the numerous art journals, German prints, and oleographs in the royal collection. There is no doubt that Pillai was influenced by the works of European masters and their painting techniques.
Apart from his state portraits, which now adorn the walls of several palaces and museums, Pillai also experimented in painting wildlife and scenery, often copying the works of European artists. A large oil painting titled ‘A Lioness and her cubs’ in the private collection of the Kulangara family is clearly influenced by a European painting of the same genre. C.V. Raman Pillai, the eminent writer, owned a beautiful painting by Pillai. The small painting, ‘Sparrow’, still adorn the walls of the famed Rosscote Bungalow in the city.
[The author is a conservation architect and history buff]
