Main content

The Incredulity of St Thomas by Guercino

Novelist Chibundu Onuzo grew up in Lagos. Her chosen painting at the National Gallery appealed to her because of its subject matter - because Thomas is a kindred spirit to her.

A novelist and historian still in her 20s, Chibundu Onuzo grew up a Christian in Lagos before moving to boarding school in England as a teenager. For her Essay, she has chosen the National Gallery鈥檚 The Incredulity of St Thomas by the 17th-century Italian painter, Guercino, because Thomas, the disciple who said he would not believe unless he could put his fingers into Christ鈥檚 wounds, is a kindred spirit to her. At boarding school in darkest Winchester, when most of her peers fell away from their Christian faith, their critical questions made her doubt her own beliefs too.

For this Holy Week series, 大象传媒 Radio 3 has invited five people to choose a painting of Christ鈥檚 passion or resurrection at the National Gallery in London and make it the starting point for their Essay.

Image 漏 National Gallery by kind permission.

The series producer is Kristine Pommert for CTVC.

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Fri 19 Apr 2019 22:45

Broadcast

  • Fri 19 Apr 2019 22:45

Featured in...

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast