Angela Trindade ’s Oriental point of view

Emulating her famous father A X Trindade, Angela Trindade neverthless forged her own ‘Trindadism’ style to make an impact in the international art world. Her Indianised Christian art, which is an important aspect of her diverse oeuvre of paintings, is on display for the very first time in Goa at the Fundacao Oriente

Published on:

19 Nov 2014, 5:34 pm

Notching up the Trindade fame in the art world, Angela Trindade’s oeuvre of work encompassed both the occidental

and Indian (secular and religious) imprinted with her individualistic ‘Trindadism’ style. “In the late 1950s, she

evolved a style of her own as she used the Trinity (or triangle) in her painting to symbolise the brotherhood of man,”

explains historian and author, Fátima da Silva Gracias. Regonition of Angela’s talent came as early as her

college days. The first Indian woman artist to be granted a Fellowship by the Sir J J School of Art and gold medalist

at the All India Women’s Artists Exhibition, Angela’s highest honour came from Pope Pius XII, who awarded

her the papal decoration Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice, for her contributions to religious art.

Accalimed the world over for an immensely diverse

oeuvre of work that included portraits, landscapes, everyday

scenes and still life, Angela is recognised as one of India’s

foremost artists to Indianise Christian art. “Angela was greatly

influenced by her teachers who propogated revivalism in

India art. This led her to depict western religious figures

in Indian style,” avers Gracias. On another level, it reflects

Angela’s deep religious urgings. By her own admission, her

religious paintings were “the result of an urge to represent

Christ and His Mother to my people in India in a style that

is common to all”. Her Indian style illustration of the Hindi

translation of the New Testament is perhaps one of the best

examples of this.

For the very first time, Goa is honouring its daughter

from Assnora, with a selective exhibition of of her Indianised

Christian art. “Angela Trindade’s work is being exhibited in

Goa for the first time. So it’s a great opportunity for people

to enjoy her work. Also, the religious paintings have been

specifically chosen to coincide with the forthcoming

exposition,” explains Eduardo Kol de Carvalho, Director,

Fundacao Oriente.

Executed over a period of 18 years (1941-1959), the 19

paintings on display are predominantly in yellow, orange and

a combination of both. “Angela was deeply influenced by

her father who was a great colourist and in these paintings

she has used these three colours with great deliberation

and superlative results. A majority of the paintings are in

watercolour on paper, while four are in China Ink, depicting

scenes from the life of Christ done in one year (1949) and

two oil paintings of the Madonna taken from the ‘Trinity

Series’. In some of these paintings, Angela has made use of

hand gestures (mudras). The most striking feature of Angela’s

work, it is said, is its serenity,” explains Gracias.

Bringing a refreshing perpective to the oriental point of

view, Angela’s Indianisation of Christian Art makes a striking

statement.