The viral 1980s retro photo trend has taken over social media, with many giving their photos a pre-smartphone-era twist. However, if you want to try something new and more artistic, here are five prompts to use to get pictures inspired by the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma.
Also Read: 1980s AI photo trend: Step-by-step guide to create your own retro portraits using ChatGPT
5 ChatGPT prompts for Raja Ravi Varma painting-themed pics
#1
Transform my uploaded photo into a richly detailed Indian classical portrait inspired by the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. Preserve the person’s recognisable facial features, natural skin tone, face shape and expression. Dress the subject in an elegant traditional Indian saree with intricate detailing and classic jewellery. Use a dignified three-quarter pose, soft dramatic lighting, a muted warm background and realistic oil-painting textures. Make the image look like a carefully composed 19th-century Indian portrait, not a modern photograph.
#2
Transform my photograph into a classical Indian bridal portrait inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings. Preserve my face, identity and natural features. Dress me in a traditional bridal saree with intricate gold embroidery, traditional Indian jewellery, flowers in the hair and an elegant classical hairstyle. Use a sophisticated indoor setting with warm lighting and muted colours. Make the painting highly detailed and realistic, with natural skin texture and authentic fabric and jewellery details.
#3
{{/usCountry}}Transform my photograph into a classical Indian bridal portrait inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings. Preserve my face, identity and natural features. Dress me in a traditional bridal saree with intricate gold embroidery, traditional Indian jewellery, flowers in the hair and an elegant classical hairstyle. Use a sophisticated indoor setting with warm lighting and muted colours. Make the painting highly detailed and realistic, with natural skin texture and authentic fabric and jewellery details.
#3
{{/usCountry}}Transform my uploaded photo into a romantic classical Indian oil painting inspired by one of Raja Ravi Varma’s [Name] paintings. Preserve my facial identity, recognisable features, skin tone and natural expression. Dress me in an elegant traditional Indian saree with a gold border and traditional jewellery, with flowers woven into my hair. Place me in a graceful moonlit setting, leaning gently against a stone or palace balcony with my face resting on one hand and gazing toward a glowing full moon. Add lush foliage, distant hills and a serene body of water reflecting the moonlight in the background. Use soft warm-and-cool lighting, realistic skin and fabric textures, delicate brushwork and the rich, romantic realism of a 19th-century Indian oil painting. Keep the composition elegant, dreamy and timeless, while making sure the final image remains recognisably me.
#4
Create an elegant 19th-century Indian domestic-life painting inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s realistic oil-painting aesthetic. Show an Indian woman in a traditional saree engaged in an intimate everyday household moment inside a refined upper-class Indian home—perhaps arranging flowers, reading a letter, preparing for a family gathering, or sitting near a window. Capture the quiet dignity, natural grace and emotional warmth of ordinary domestic life. Use richly detailed saree fabrics, traditional jewellery, wooden furniture, brass vessels, floral decorations and period-appropriate architecture. Warm natural light falls softly across the scene, creating gentle shadows and a serene atmosphere. Combine realistic human anatomy and expressive facial features with rich oil-paint textures, deep earthy colours, subtle European academic realism and distinctly 19th-century Indian cultural details. The composition should feel like a timeless glimpse into everyday Indian life, intimate, dignified and painterly, with no mythological figures or fantasy elements.
#5
Transform my uploaded photograph into a dignified classical Indian painting inspired by the visual tradition of Raja Ravi Varma’s mythological works. Preserve my recognisable facial features and identity while giving the portrait a graceful, timeless Indian aesthetic. Dress the subject in elaborate traditional Indian clothing and jewellery, with a softly illuminated classical setting. Use realistic oil-paint textures, expressive eyes, detailed fabrics and an elegant composition. Keep the image respectful and painterly rather than theatrical.
(Hindustantimes.com used ChatGPT to generate an initial image, then applied the specified prompts to create the visuals featured in this report.)
Also Read: ChatGPT ’80s photo trend: 5 prompts to create retro Kerala-style images
Considered the father of modern Indian art, Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated artist known for his realistic portrayals of religious and mythological figures.
Born on April 29, 1848, in Kilimanoor in the erstwhile State of Travancore (modern-day Kerala), he also painted royals, contemporary figures, and renowned personalities. He passed away on October 2, 1906, at the age of 58.