Art histories rarely focus on modern sacred or religious art, giving the impression that the visual arts in the twentieth century were predominantly secular. This represents a Western view of art history which can itself be challenged and which completely overlooks the significant development of Biblical Art in Asia and Africa throughout this period and on into the contemporary scene. The following A-Z attempts to provide a brief sample of some of the artists and organisations that create and support Biblical Art in Asia and Africa:
Indian Christian Art: Angelo da Fonseca (1902 - 1967) was a Goan artist who pioneered painting Christian themes in Indian styles. Da Fonseca was decorated by Pope Pius XII with the gold medal "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice". Other significant Indian artists using Christian themes include Jamini Roy, Jyoti Sahi, Alfred D. Thomas and Frank Wesley.
Qangeta Jembere Hailu (b. 1918): is part of a tradition of sacred art that may be traced back to the introduction of Christianity in Ethiopia during the fourth century. Jembere received a traditional church education that included training as a painter and has since produced paintings for churches in Begemder, Wello, and Addis Ababa.
Kutjungka Catholic Church: The Balgo School of Western Desert Art developed from the work of Jesuit missionaries among the Aborigines of the Balgo Hills in Western Australia. Suzie Bootja Bootja, Matthew Gill, Gracie Mosquito and Linda Syddick are among the Aboriginal Artists from this School to have fused their traditional styles with Christian symbolism.
Ketut Lasia (b. 1945): paints in the traditional Balinese style drawing on canvas with a fine pen before adding acrylic polymer colour. As a child he often watched the painters in his village for hours and was amazed at the way they could take the images and pictures in their minds and turn them into paintings. Lasia has depicted the story of Christ in a sequence of 30 paintings undertaken at the central Balinese church in Denpasar.
Colin McCahon (1919 – 1987): New Zealand artist who populated his landscapes with figures and imagery from biblical narratives. McCahon also created series of ‘written paintings’ using words from the Gospels and prophets to explore issues of doubt and suffering. His religious works were often shocking – one critic described them as “graffiti on the walls of some celestial lavatory” - but many responded to the rawness of his imagery and themes.
Charles S. Ndege (b. 1966): one of the best-known religious painters in Tanzania. Originally from Northwest Tanzania, he studied art at the Sukuma Cultural Center near Mwanza and feels passionately that the Jesus of contemporary faith should be portrayed as an African. This is what he did in the Stations of the Cross he was commissioned to paint on the cement walls of Nyakato Church outside of Mwanza.
Oye Ekiti: In a town called Oye Ekiti in Western Nigeria, Father Kevin Carroll set up a workshop where young sculptors could train under master carvers. The carvers were not shown any European models and continued to work in the Yoruba style while beginning to represent Christian themes and stories. The well-known sculptor Bandele of Osi Ilorin was among the teachers and his apprentices included Lamidi Fakeye.
Molnár C. Pál (1894 - 1981): popular Hungarian painter drawn to both classical and surreal styles. Between the two World Wars he undertook many innovative ecclesiastical commissions. Dismissed by the post-war modernist art establishment Molnár responded by using own face as a model for his Suffering Jesus.
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Taizé - Alleluia.
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