Artwork by Sister Marie Claire , SMMI (1937–2018) from Bengaluru, India.

For more information about images by Sister Marie Claire and ways to purchase them as lithographs, see here . For other images of Sister Marie Claire paintings in TIPs, see here.

The following is an artwork by Frank Wesley (1923-2002):

“Frank Wesley is a fifth generation Indian Christian born in 1923 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. He comes from a long line of artists. Wesley studied art in Lucknow where his Hindu professor inspired him not only in his art but also in an appreciation of Jesus Christ and his teaching.

Hagar was painted in water colour on paper and is in a private collection in Bangalore, India. The color washes have been manipulated with a palette knife on rough paper to emphasize the hard rocks which symbolize Hagar’s life as a bond-maid.

“Abraham and Sarah are honored as the founders of the nation of Israel. Abraham’s trust in God to lead him out of Babylon and his willingness to sacrifice his own son are quoted as signs of his great faith. But because Abraham and Sarah were people of wealth and privilege most Asian Christians have difficulty identifying with them. In recent years, many Asians have rediscovered Hagar as a person with whom they can have genuine empathy. Frank Wesley’s moving painting shows Hagar alone in the wilderness. She is prepared to die when the angel meets her. In the midst of hopelessness, God reveals to her that her son Ishmael will be the father of a great nation.” (Source for this and the image: The Bible Through Asian Eyes by Masao Takenaka and Ron O’Grady 1991)