The Goan Beggar

A portrait brought to the canvas to document the ethnic diversity of the Indian Subcontinent with subtle comments on status and personality. The sitter’s attributes are common among the various kinds of wanderers. The bag slung over his right shoulder and a receptacle for alms is barely visible below his hand. He is grasping a spiral seashell, only the top of which is visible.
The old man’s features are those of a Christian wonderer with his shell, rosary, and short unruly hairstyle. The dull, western cut grey shirt reinforces the sombre facial expression on this man. Sad eyes reflect a life of hardship, though he does not look pitiable or grovelling. Like many of his portraits of simple folk, Trindade’s beggar evokes the impression of a simple man living outside mainstream society with integrity and self- respect.
References: Shihandi, Marcella, et al, António Xavier Trindade: An Indian Painter from Portuguese Goa (exhibition catalogue), Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 1996; Tavares, Cristina Azevedo et al, António Xavier Trindade: Um Pintor de Goa (exhibition catalogue), Lisbon, Fundação Oriente, 2005; Gracias, Fátima, Faces of Colonial India: The Work of Goan Artist António Xavier Trindade (1870-1935), Panjim, Goa, Fundação Oriente, 2014.