A new book on noted Goan artist, late Antonio Xavier Trindade, throws more light on this icon who has been dubbed the ‘Rembrandt of the East’
ADITHI SHARMA & SONJUKTA CHATTERJEE | NT BUZZ
Born in Goa in 1870, Antonio Xavier Trindade, an alumnus of the J. J. School of Art in Bombay earned acclaim as a master portraitist, sculptor, wood carver and engraver.
“His style was unique. He had the gift of colour and was often referred to and celebrated as the Rembrandt of the East for the light and glimmering texture, as well as the sense of character in his portraits. He painted as he saw and paid attention to details. Portraiture was his forte,” says writer Fatima da Silva Gracias. His work, she adds, has been applauded for its classical approach. “His utilisation of light and texture that lends his work a certain depth, set him apart from his contemporaries,” says Gracias.
Intrigued by his work, back in 2014, Gracias released her first book titled, ‘Faces of Colonial India: The Work of Goan Artist Antonio Xavier Trindade’. This week, she launched her latest work on the artist along with co-author Paulo Jorge da Silva Gomes titled ‘Antonio Xavier Trindade: An Artist from Goa, 1870-1935’.
Sharing more on how the book was born, Gracias explains that previously a catalogue on the artist’s work has been prepared based on the masterpieces that were owned by the A. X. Trindade Foundation, Florida U.S.A. Many of these were then donated to Fundação Oriente, Panaji in 2004, where a permanent exhibition of his work has been on display since 2012.
Over the course of years, more works were added to the collection owned by Fundação Oriente. New information was also brought to light as research went on. “A need was thus felt for a new updated catalogue,” says Gracias,
Gomes, who is also the director at Fundação Oriente adds that this work was not a result of academic pursuit; but rather to make Trindade’s work more accessible. Their collaborative efforts began in 2022 after a visit to the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi and the book was prompted by a desire to document everything that Fundação Oriente has about António Xavier Trindade.
Gomes, having discovered many letters and papers of Trindade, reached out to Gracias with the aim to write a new work, “I approached Fatima, who also has a lot of information on the artist, to collaboratively write something new about him, and thus, we set out to do it,” he says.
While Gracias is a lecturer and author with a doctorate in the domain of Indo-Portuguese history; Gomes, has been researching on the artist since 2022.
But, despite their combined expertise the work did not come easy, “We faced many challenges preparing this catalogue of works. A few paintings had no date or any information about them,” says Gracias.
However, surprising discoveries were also made along the way, when a whole set of 30 sketches prepared by the artist were found with the Museu do Oriente of Fundação Oriente, Lisboa. “They are in pencil and watercolour mostly done in the early 20th century. Many of these sketches are initial works of the artist while others end up as complete paintings by the artist and some are displayed at the Fundação Oriente Gallery. The set is of importance and value as it illustrates the artist’s entire thought process and what he was thinking, like an insight into Trindade’s inner world.” says Gracias. Sharing his thoughts on the title ‘Rembrandt of the East’ being given to the artist, Gomes states, “I think there are two reasons; one is the boldness of his portraits and two for the luminosity of his works. We are talking about portraits with more than 100 years, and if you check the luminosity, it is still amazing.”
He adds that Trindade never forgot his roots. We can find personalities like Lady Tata, sanyasis, Indian landscapes and lifestyles. So, it covers a large spectrum of the Indian aspects,” says Gomes. “He deserves to have his work and huge talent to be preserved.”
