Damerla Rama Rao

Who is Damerla Rama Rao?

Damerla Rama Rao was an Indian artist. born on March 8, 1897 in Rajahmundry. He was born to Physician Damerla Venkata Rama Rao and Lakshmi Devi as a second child in the group of five girls and four boys. Rao was married to Satya Vani in 1919. He completed his arts course with distinction in 1920.

He was intensely inclined towards the art of painting and sketching since childhood. Rao with his father went to Sisil N. Burns, who was the Dean of arts in Mumbai School of Arts in 1916. The sketches of an untrained, unexposed Rama Rao surprised and impressed the Dean which resulted into his admission directly into the third year of fine arts course.

His works were composed, decorative in nature and always compared to those of Puvs de Chavannes, the post-Impressionist artist of Paris.Rama Rao was spotted by Sir O. J. Couldrey, principal of the Government Arts College, Rajahmundry who took him to Ajanta and Ellora for sketching the frescos and sculptures. It is said that Viceroy Lord Reading was so impressed with Rama Rao’s works that he purchased the painting “Godavari of Eastern Ghats.”

In 1923, Ramarao started rajahmundry chitra kalashala and trained many youngsters.He broke the schakels of contemporary orthodoxical society of the country that time by nude paintings. His revolutionary nude paintings were on a lady named nakula. He is one of first artists to paint nude paintings of beautiful Indian women. Some of his world-renowned paintings like siddartha ragodayam, pushpaalankarana, kaartika pournami were exhibited and won prizes not only in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta as well as London and Toronto. His paintings can be still found at Damerla Art Gallery situated near the Godavari railway station.