Heavenly Bodies
Heavenly Bodies, an exclusive show of four of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings, embellished by Olaf Van Cleef, belonging to the well-known Van Cleef jewellery family and a consultant at Cartier.
The event, a pop-up store of sorts, included limited edition trays, mousepads and key stands all craft-ed for the occasion to enhance the masterpieces by Raja Ravi Varma, namely Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ahalya and Hamsa Damayanthi.
The pieces were adorned by Olaf Van Cleef using Swarovski crystals and other precious gems, with careful attention to detail, making it a visual delight.
Olaf’s deep-rooted connection with the country can be traced back to his mother who spent much time in India. Olaf himself first came here with her when he was just 14 and kept returning. He now shuttles between Paris and Puducherry.
Most of his topics are India-inspired drawings and are watercolours highlighted by Chinese ink. The paintings are in pastel colours with great attention to detail. The themes of most of these paintings are Hindu gods and goddesses, as well as scenes from Hindu mythology, and has now graduated to Buddhist figures inspired by his trip to Bhutan.
His works reflect his love for India in general and Kolkata in particular. Regarding his connection with Indian gods and his art, Olaf Van Cleef said, “It’s mostly my passion for jewellery that gives inspiration to paint the gods. This is where I can finally mix my art and precious stones, and then of course, I like Indian gods. They are all so beautiful and young.”