From the archives of the British Library
This 17th-century painting fuses Islamic motifs with Renaissance-style artwork.
The birth of Jesus Christ – a seminal biblical event – has been the subject of many paintings by Western artists, who often applied the ideas of beauty and creativity prevalent there while depicting the event on canvas.
These works are among the most widely available depictions of Christian art, shaping the way the world perceives this biblical event and subliminally preventing those outside the West from influencing it.
But over the centuries, Indian artists have sought to express their vision of this event by painting the birth of Jesus and other Christian themes in their own style.
Some did it consciously, others unconsciously, but the end result is a body of work that breathes new life and meaning into the event of Christ's birth and into Christianity itself.
Here are some paintings from Indian art history that present the birth of Jesus from a uniquely local perspective.
Mughal emperor Muhammad Jalaluddin Akbar is credited with introducing northern India to Christianity by inviting Jesuit missionaries to visit his court.
The missionaries brought with them European scriptures and works of art with Christian themes that influenced court painters. Akbar and his successors also commissioned numerous murals with Christian themes, and some court painters began to infuse these paintings with elements of Islamic art.
South Asian historian Neha Vermani discusses a painting by Mughal court artists of Emperor Jahangir in the manger, which traditionally depicts Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.
“Mughal rulers saw themselves as 'just' rulers, capable of maintaining harmony and balance in their kingdoms; they were “universal rulers”. Allowing different religions to coexist was an integral part of how they saw themselves and wanted to be remembered. ” said Ms. Vermani.
The 18th-century painting below features stylistic elements typical of Mughal art, including highly stylized figures, vibrant colors, naturalism, and ornament.
Trustees of the British Museum
An 18th-century Mughal-style painting depicting the Virgin Mary and child
From the archives of the British Library
A 1630 painting of the Madonna and Child with influences from Islamic art
Born in 1887 in what is now the state of West Bengal in India, Jamini Roy is famous for creating a unique visual language by bringing together elements of Bengali folk art and Kalighat paintings – a distinctive art form that originated near 'a famous temple in the city of Calcutta. .
Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director of art company DAG, says art critic WG Archer once observed that Christ represented a Santhal figure (Santhals are an Indian tribal group) for Jamini Roy.
“The simplicity of Christ's life and sacrifice appealed to Roy, making his paintings on Christian themes at least as important as those on Hindu mythology, all rendered in the popular style of modernism that he appropriated” , he said.
Image courtesy: DAG
A 1950s tempera over fabric painting of the Virgin and Child by Jamini Roy
Image courtesy: DAG
Madonna with Jesus and the Magi by Jamini Roy
Born in 1902 in the western state of Goa, Angelo de Fonseca is credited with creating a unique Christian iconography that marries Eastern and Western influences with his Goan sensibility.
In her paintings, Mary is not depicted as a blonde girl in a blue dress, but closely resembles a brown-skinned Indian woman, dressed in a sari and wearing a mangalsutra (a traditional Indian jewelry worn by married Hindu women).
Biblical scenes are set in local contexts and feature motifs and elements that speak to an Indian audience.
Through his art, he attempted to counter the narrative that the West was the cradle of beauty and artistic creativity.
“Fonseca wanted to situate Christianity – which has largely been seen as a Western religious tradition – in the Indian subcontinent. It is from this anguish that his watercolors painted Christianity anew,” said Rinald D'Souza , director of the Xavier Center for Historical Research. Goa, told the BBC.
Xavier Center for Historical Research, Goa
A 1952 watercolor on paper by Angelo da Fonseca
Xavier Center for Historical Research, Goa
A 1942 oil on canvas titled “Mother” by Angelo da Fonseca
