Fact-check: No, this is not a real painting by Raja Ravi Varma. The truth behind viral post

Screenshot of images tweeted by @PanchvatiNasik

After a post falsely claiming to show a painting by celebrated Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma garnered thousands of views on social media, Twitter users began mocking the original poster with memes. The Raja Ravi Varma memes trend was born when Twitter user Jyotilaxmii Kurup shared a collage of two photos – one of Telugu actor Swathi Reddy recreating a Raja Ravi Varma painting for a photoshoot, the second featuring the easily-recognisable Mona Lisa by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci.

“Here are two portraits. One is by Raja Ravi Verma, which perhaps, you have never seen. Another is by Leonardo da Vince which you must have seen million times. Now think about how marketing and propaganda lobbies bias our minds,” Kurup wrote.

She might have succeeded in making her point, but for the fact that her post did not show a Raja Ravi Varma painting at all. It is, in fact, part of a 2019 project in which Sruvam Photography roped in Swathi Reddy to recreate a painting by the renowned modern artist.

Passing off a PHOTO of Telugu actor Swathi Reddy (recreating a Raja Ravi Verma painting via a photoshoot) as a painting is surely a solid reason to "think about how disinformation and propaganda lobbies lead us to remove our brains from our skull and flush it down the toilet". pic.twitter.com/ZCLpOPbzGA

— Karthik (@beastoftraal) July 12, 2023

Take a look:

Here are two portraits.

One is by Raja Ravi Verma, which perhaps, you have never seen.

Another is by Leonardo da Vinci which you must have seen million times.

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Now think about how marketing and propaganda lobbies bias our minds. pic.twitter.com/0MyxNfkTL6

— Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) July 13, 2023

Here are two portraits.

One is by Raja Ravi Verma, which perhaps, you have never seen.

Another is by Leonardo da Vinci which you must have seen million times.

Now think about how marketing and propaganda lobbies bias our minds. pic.twitter.com/hG4CszD2j1

— Joy (@Joydas) July 13, 2023

Here are two portraits.

One is by Raja Ravi Verma, which perhaps, you have never seen.

Another is by Leonardo da Vinci which you must have seen million times.

Now think about how marketing and propaganda lobbies bias our minds. pic.twitter.com/Kuh0CJWDej

— humour understander kuttoosan (@jijinjohn) July 12, 2023

Here are two portraits.

One is by Raja Baghpat Verma, which perhaps, you have never seen.

Another is by Eugène Delacroix which you must have seen million times.

Now think about how marketing and propaganda lobbies bias our minds. pic.twitter.com/IXrZA01Jit

— Karthik (@beastoftraal) July 13, 2023

Here are two portraits.

One is by Gnaneshwar Bhai, which perhaps, you have never seen.

Another is by Leonardo da Vinci which you must have seen million times.

Now think about how marketing and propaganda lobbies bias our minds. pic.twitter.com/TVbQEm3hkg

— Ram Venkat Srikar (@RamVenkatSrikar) July 13, 2023

Here are two portraits.

One is by Ravi Verman, who is not a Raja but is a damn fine cinematographer.

Another is by Leonardo da Vinci, which you must have seen a million times.

This is my blatant attempt at propaganda.

Now you decide, I’m ok with anything as long as it’s in… pic.twitter.com/jJBC2FML3B

— “SuperGullu” (@gulshandevaiah) July 13, 2023