P. Solomon Raj

Dr. P. Solomon Raj is a Lutheran theologian and artist from India. Born in 1921, he became a school teacher, then studied theology at Gurukul, Madras, served as a minister and as a student chaplain and after that fulfilled a wide range of positions in India, at Selly Oak, Birmingham (UK) and other countries before settling down again in his own country. In the meantime he published his PhD dissertation in Birmingham and was active in the Asian Christian Arts Association. For a number of years he has been the spiritual father of the St. Luke’s Lalitkala Ashram in Vijayawada, Andra Pradesh. In the 1950s he discovered his gift as an artist, first specializing in linocuts and wood block printing. Later he also made batiks and —though to a lesser extent — acrylic paintings. He discovered the possibilities of using visual art as a means of explaining the biblical narratives and propagating the Gospel. Most of the art works which he published in separate booklets and books are accompanied by brief poetical meditations.