A study in green is an iconic realistic oil painting by the renowned painter C. Raja Raja Varma, which follows a monochromatic color palette. Raja Raja Varma is the younger brother of another famous Indian painter named Raja Ravi Varma. Painted in 1901, a study in green shows a massive tree standing still at a pathway. Unlike his brother’s grand mythological scenes, this work focuses on the "verdant motifs" of the Kerala landscape, featuring lush greenery, forests, and the play of natural light. The color palette of the painting speaks for the title, depicting the several shades and hues of green, showing a typical monsoon drenched afternoon of Kerela. C. Raja Raja Varma used oil paint on canvas to paint this masterpiece using loose and light impressionistic brush strokes, diverging away from the common practice of using rigid brush strokes at that time. Despite the change in technique, he still stuck to the western realism style.
I love how soft and subtle this painting is. The tree dominates yet refuses drama it stands almost burdened by its own stillness. I find myself questioning whether this is serenity or solitude whether the artist celebrates nature or subtly reveals its isolating indifferent vastness.
