Yusuf Arakkal’s Christ series on display for the first time in Bengaluru

This hitherto unseen series by the late artist is on display for a limited time

The 12 disciples seated at the table, faces half hidden in shadow, could very well be variations of the same person; however there is no mistaking Christ at the centre of the canvas. The Last Supper by Yusuf Arakkal as well as other canvases in the Christ series are markedly different from conventional portrayals of the subject.

Less Caucasian, more Asian; less divine, more human; less religious, more spiritual — the entire series comprises well-known scenes from the life of Jesus Christ as visualised by the artist. In a note he penned, Yusuf had stated how he had always been inspired by Christ and considered his to be the ‘face of humanity,’ a sentiment that stemmed from a tumultuous childhood, punctuated by occasional visits to churches or chapels where he would sketch away.

The play of light in The Last Supper, as with the other canvases in this series, is deliberate and heightens the emotions of the subject or scene portrayed. Whether it is Jesus in conflict at the crossroads of his life in Gethsemane Prayer or his mortal body in The Pieta, Yusuf has depicted him as a solitary figure in stark surroundings.

In some images, an outstretched hand, a crown of thorns, nails and flowing robes, fall outside the confines of the main image, evoking a sense of pathos. At the same time, there is a quiet poise to be seen in Yusuf’s Christ — whether in moments of suffering, prayer, submission or fellowship, there is a calm acceptance of his purpose in life.

Painted between 1999 and 2012, almost all the images in the Christ series bear the artist’s signature element of a vertical line running down the oil-on-canvas painting, most of which are six feet or more, in size. Given the subject, Yusuf’s choice of red for the line adds a poignancy to the overall mien.

According to Yusuf’s wife, Sara Arakkal, apart from one work painted at the dawn of the new millennium, most of the others in the series have never been exhibited before, with the exception of those at the retrospective held in October 2022. “It was Yusuf’s dream to unveil the collection at the Vatican,” she says, adding that a delegation from there had visited Yusuf and seen the works in 2013. However, as the Vatican has a policy of not exhibiting the works of living artists, Yusuf’s wish remained unfulfilled in his lifetime.

The Christ Series by Yusuf Arakkal will be on display at the Bangalore International Centre till January 14, 2023.