Jan 07 2023 to Jan 14 2023 11 a.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

''The Christ Series' by the late artist Yusuf Arakkal was done between 1999 and 2012. It constitutes 12 mega sized canvases potraying the conspicuous life situations of Christ.   The forthcoming exhibition at the BIC , from 7th to 14th January is significant for the art world and art lovers because , all of the paintings , except one titled ' Millennium Christ', have not been on public view ever. It was the desire of the late artist, to have the first ever exhibition of this entire series at the Vatican in Rome.   Initially, The Christ Series- was never intended to be a series.The first painting in the series " The Millennium Christ ' was started on 31st December 1999 Yusuf Arakkal completed the painting in a single day (working from 6 am in the morning on December 31st upto the wee hours of the next day I.e., 1st January 2000) . It was a huge dyptych ( 2 canvases together) .  

He worked fervently the whole day upto the wee hours of the morning, so that he could present to the art world and art lovers a meaningful gift on the very first day of the Millennium.   He had a simple reasoning for his choice of subject ' The Christ'. While reflecting on the most influential person of the past two millenniums he felt that there could be no other than Jesus Christ because of his power, glory, humanness, simplicity and compassion for humanity. That was the very first painting he did in the Series. He completed this painting, juxtaposing crucifixion and resurrection. Space and time are placed as the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross; the nails and thorny crown are placed on the margins; Jesus is depicted as an Asian, authenticating the historical, geographical and temporal significance ; his face is turned towards the distant rising sun, symbolising the triumph of truth and resurrection, yet depicting in the vicinity, enormous dark clouds thundering the melancholy of death and defeat.   It is only a few years later after his travel to Israel he embarked on a full-fledged series on Christ. By then, the approach was quite different. While he maintained his unique style he followed the conventional facial features used by the masters.  

These 12 paintings on display depict the conspicuous life situations of Christ. They are the baptism of Jesus, Jesus walking on the Sea, Jesus as the bread of life, Last supper, Dance of Jesus, Jesus in Gethsemane, Jesus concluding prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus on the Cross.   

For Yusuf, the life of Jesus was more of a human experience rather than a spiritual or religious one- reflecting the pains of humanity as a whole. It was the solitude and compassion of Christ that attracted Yusuf.  

A delegation from the Vatican, in Rome, visited the Arakkal studio in 2013. The paintings were much appreciated and talks of an exhibition in Rome were discussed. However, even though Arakkal cherished the dream of having the first exhibition of The Christ Series at the Vatican, the policy of the Vatican at that time was not to exhibit the works of Living Artists.  

Since his passing Sara Arakkal ( Yusufs wife) has made some effort to reach out to Rome again and hopes this will happen soon. Meanwhile, it is the artlovers of Bangalore who will have the pleasure of the first viewing ever of all the paintings together at the BIC between 7th to 14th January 2023.   

Venue: Bangalore international Centre (BIC), 4th Main Road, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560071

Date: January 7th – 14th, 2023

Time: 11 AM to 8 PM