Although there is plenty happening with regards to art in Goa, Christian art is still to get the attention it deserves. With the hope of doing just that, the Museum of Christian Art, Old Goa is all set to organise Studiolo, a series of illustrated talks on this topic which will be conducted by art historian Apurva Kulkarni.
“ One of the objectives of the Museum of Christian Art is to create awareness and to educate the local community on diversity and richness of Christian art and in art appreciation in general,” says Natasha Fernandes, curator at the museum, on how the idea of this series came about.
Studiolo, an Italian term for a place of the study of art will consist of eight sessions which will take place every Thursday from April 5, at the Church of Santa Monica, Old Goa.
“This series will focus on art inspired by the Bible both of the Old and the New Testament,” says Apurva Kulkarni. “Although at first glance it may sound limited, there are infact centuries of art which explore Christian themes and the variety is nothing short of astonishing.”
Kulkani adds that there have been some especially favored themes that the art has dwelt upon. “Usually the art pieces depended on the patronage of the church, of the monarch and of the wealthy who would sometimes commission a particular piece because it was like a pious offering. These themes were usually chosen based on what they felt strongly about. Also, if there was some tragedy in the family, the members were looking at some catharsis through this,” he says. That said, the New Testament especially gets more emphasis. “This is probably because it is more direct. The Son of God took birth as a human being and thus gave an exemplary lesson on how we ought to be conducting our lives. He demonstrated that he is no different from us. And by observing his suffering, it gives people hope,” says Kulkarni. In this way, the people felt a strong emotional and consequently a devotional connect, he adds.
Today however, the scene of Christian art is very different, Kulkarni states. “We live now in what is popularly called the secular age where religion in most cultures does not take centre stage. We do have instances of art inspired by the Bible and I will be showing two or three examples of Christian art in the modern age. But by and large such instances of Christian art are few,” he says.
And youngsters especially today do not know much about this genre of art, he states. “I have realised that the average 16-18 year old, irrespective of the community they belong to, know very little about sacred art be it Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic or Christian,” says Kulkarni who has been lecturing in colleges for many years. However he hopes to change this around. “My talk will have a lot of images. When you see things in pictures it has a better impact than just reading the Bible or the Quran,” he says.
His talks will centre on the roots of Christian art and the change in styles across the years. For the opening session titled Anastasis ( which is Greek for Resurrection), Kulkarni will map the appearances of Jesus Christ in art from his resurrection and beyond. “As we have just celebrated Easter, it seems like the perfect opportunity to focus on this theme,” he says, adding that in the next sessions he will also look at the Sistine Chapel and later the representation of Madonna in art. The initiative has been whole-heartedly endorsed by the Archbishop and Kulkarni hopes that there will be more such events later, a thought echoed by Fernandes.
“Depending on the response we hope to have a second season too as there are so many topics that can be spoken about under Christian art,” says Fernandes.
