Ramgopal Vijaywargiya

Born in Baler, Rajasthan, Ramgopal Vijaywarjiya (1905-2003) was an Indian painter, poet, and writer. He made an immense contribution to the development of modern Indian art in Rajasthan. Also, he was instrumental in developing the tradition of the Bengal school in Rajasthan. Vijaywargiya worked as an illustrator for many reputed magazines and newspapers during his time. Inspired by the rich heritage of Ajanta sculpture and the Bengal school, he painted in wash technique and tempera.

Ramgopal Vijaywargiya studied Painting at the Maharaja School of Arts and Crafts in Jaipur.  He had his first solo show at the Fine Art and Crafts Society in Kolkata when he was just 17 years old. During his stay in Kolkata, he was exposed further to the myriad intricacies of the rich tradition of the Bengal school discourse. He was closely mentored by the artist Shailendra Nath.

Despite the influence from the Bengal school style, Ajanta, and Rajasthan traditions, Vijaywargiya developed his original style. Lyrical in style, the use of colour makes the works animated and lively. Vijaywargiya excelled in depicting feminine beauty on canvas. He painted many mythological and literary themes. His works depicted scenes from the ancient Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as those from classical Indian literary texts like Meghdoot, Geet Govind, Abhigyaan Shakuntalam, etc. Some of his paintings also depict lives of common people like village girls, labourers, elderly people, balloon sellers, and scenes from various Indian festivals.

Vijaywargiya has to his credit three poetry anthologies, a collection of short stories, and six books on art. He worked as the Principal of the Rajasthan Kala Mandir and Rajasthan School of Art from 1945 to 1956. One of his paintings on the classical literary text of Geet Govind was acquired by Tsutomu Ueda's gallery of Japan.

Vijaywargiya was felicitated with many awards and honours including the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi Award and the Padma Shri by the government of India.