Indian Artists’ Interpretations of Christ’s Birth: Modernism and Islamic Influences

The birth of Jesus Christ, a pivotal biblical event, has been extensively portrayed by Western artists. These artists commonly applied prevailing Western concepts of beauty and creativity when depicting the event on canvas. Such artworks constitute some of the most widely accessible examples of Christian art, influencing global perceptions of this biblical narrative and implicitly diminishing the involvement of non-Western perspectives. However, over centuries, Indian artists have aimed to convey their interpretation of this event by illustrating Jesus’s birth and other Christian subjects in their distinct styles. Whether consciously or unconsciously, this effort has resulted in a collection of works that imbues the birth of Christ, and Christianity itself, with renewed vitality and significance. The following presents a selection of paintings from Indian art history that depict Jesus’s birth from a distinctively local viewpoint. Mughal emperor Muhammad Jalaluddin Akbar is recognized for introducing Christianity to northern India through his invitation to Jesuit missionaries to his court. These missionaries arrived with sacred scriptures and European artworks featuring Christian themes, which subsequently influenced the court painters. Akbar and his successors also commissioned numerous murals with Christian subjects, leading some court painters to begin integrating elements of Islamic art into these depictions. Neha Vermani, a historian specializing in South Asia, references a painting created by Mughal court artists that depicted Emperor Jahangir within a nativity scene, a setting traditionally featuring Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Ms Vermani states, “Mughal rulers saw themselves as being ‘just’ rulers, capable of maintaining harmony and balance in their kingdoms; they were ‘universal rulers’. Allowing different religions to co-exist was integral to how they saw themselves and wanted themselves to be remembered.” The 18th Century painting exhibits characteristic stylistic elements of Mughal art, encompassing highly stylised figures, vibrant colours, naturalism, and ornamentation. Jamini Roy, born in 1887 in the region now known as India’s West Bengal state, is renowned for establishing a distinctive visual language. He achieved this by merging elements of Bengali folk art with Kalighat paintings, an identifiable art form that emerged near a prominent temple in Kolkata city. Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director of the art firm DAG, notes that art critic WG Archer once remarked that Christ symbolized a Santhal figure for Jamini Roy; the Santhals are an Indian tribal group. Anand states, “The simplicity of Christ’s life and his sacrifice appealed to Roy, making his paintings on Christian themes at least as important as those on Hindu mythology, all of them rendered in the folk style of modernism that he made distinctively his own.” Angelo de Fonseca, born in 1902 in the western state of Goa, is recognized for developing distinctive Christian iconography. This iconography integrated Eastern and Western influences with his particular Goan sensibilities. Within his artworks, Mary is not portrayed as a fair maiden in a blue gown; instead, she closely resembles an Indian woman with brown skin, attired in a sari and adorned with a mangalsutra, which is a piece of traditional Indian jewellery worn by married Hindu women. Biblical scenes are depicted in local environments and incorporate motifs and elements that resonate with an Indian audience. Through his artistic endeavors, he sought to challenge the perception that the West was the sole origin of beauty and artistic creativity. Rinald D’Souza, director of the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa, informed the BBC, “Fonseca wanted to situate Christianity – which has largely been viewed as a western religious tradition – within the Indian subcontinent. It was from this angst that his watercolours painted Christianity anew.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.