The Martyrs of Algeria / Brera Students: Drawing Their Faces Changed Our Lives
The students of Brera, authors of the portraits of the Meeting exhibition on the 19 religious martyrs in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, tell their experience
"Painting these faces with my friends was a tremendous gift," Matilde says confidently. "Working on these portraits has helped me grow a lot," adds Martina. For Paolo , "it was wonderful to discover the faces of Christians who are clear witnesses to the faith and love of Christ." Finally, Benedetta states that preparing for the exhibition allowed her to "get to know these 19 faces," for whom she is "infinitely grateful, because they opened the door to the fulfillment of Christ."
Four of the seven students from the Brera Academy have expertly and sincerely drawn, using graphite pencil, the faces of the 19 "witnesses to the faith" who, in sequence, welcome visitors at the entrance to one of the Meeting's most popular exhibitions: Called Twice. The Martyrs of Algeria .
Promoted by the Oasis Foundation and the Vatican Publishing House, it tells, with moving words and images, the exemplary story of the Christians killed in Islamic terrorist attacks between 1994 and 1996 and beatified seven years ago in Oran, on the day of the Immaculate Conception .
Matilde admits: "I started out with a lot of fear of being too focused on myself, on my abilities and my limitations." At first, "I conceived of myself as a single person," wanting "everything to be perfect, not for a greater purpose—to build something—but for a matter of pride." But immediately, "from the first afternoon of work, I realized I wasn't alone and that I could rely completely on my friends."
"This awareness then sparked a genuine desire to learn the stories of the men and women we were about to portray, and it was wonderful to work on each face with their story in mind; it felt like we were in dialogue with them, and I wanted visitors to the exhibition to see what we had seen in them."
Matilde explains: "The 19 blessed had never been effectively portrayed in this way, and the photos we started with weren't all particularly legible. Therefore, helping to publicize these faces of such courageous men and women in such a visually impactful way made our work enjoyable, and even in our tiredness, we were clear about the reason we were working."
For Benedetta, "From the first day of work, we felt a sense of urgency to trust each other, catapulted into a task that, despite our Brera roots, was foreign to us. While I was portraying the first face, that of Christian (the youngest of the martyrs), I asked myself: 'But who are you? What is your name? What led you to become a priest in Algeria? What led to your martyrdom?' I felt a need to know that face and his story. So I got up and went to read the short biography printed on a panel in the exhibition. His name was Christian Chessel: he was 36 when he was killed."
As she began drawing again, Benedetta 's work took on a new light. "It was no longer me who created it: it was him, that face, that man who, with his story and his calling, fulfilled me and helped me give new voice to what he had experienced. And even when we realized we needed the help of another of our own to make the portrait look 'good,' it wasn't a matter of pride. Indeed, we realized that, for those faces to speak to all visitors as they spoke to us, the intervention of a friend was necessary and right."
Martina was skeptical at first. “I wasn't sure I was good enough, but I agreed anyway, knowing I wasn't doing it for myself, to stand out or produce a beautiful piece to add to my portfolio, but because I'd been called, I'd been chosen. I've always considered my art a very personal thing, perhaps allowing myself to be influenced by peers and artists, but still following my own path. Working on these portraits, I had to learn to share the same work, and I was surprised to find that, by putting my hand to someone else's drawing, I was making an even more beautiful piece, rather than ruining it. Similarly, I was initially afraid I'd fail when someone else touched up something I'd done, because I always believed art was purely personal. Instead, I discovered that the hand of another, rather than canceling me out, can complement me, just as through a dialogue with another, one can better understand oneself.”
Benedetta concludes: "Before this experience, the idea of working in a group with others would have seemed absurd and not for me; but now the idea of forming a collective excites me."
Paolo expressed his "very gratitude for the opportunity I received to contribute to the Meeting's exhibition on the martyrs of Algeria." He explained: "Portraiting their faces helped me get to know them and engage with them, realizing their importance and the extraordinary nature of their lives and stories."
Paolo was struck above all by the fact that, "even in a dark, terrifying time, the love for Christ that overwhelmed them resisted and prevailed over the violence of the world. Discovering their story with friends, who helped me not dwell on my own limitations and insecurities, allowed me to better understand the role that was required of me at that moment: to build and create not for my own personal gain, but so that the beauty and testimony of another, of the encounter with an Other, could emerge and be fulfilled, and the testimony of these martyrs could reach others, just as it reached me."
In addition to the four whose testimonies we have collected, the other three students from the Milanese Academy who depicted the faces of the martyrs of Algeria are Chiara, Claudio and Filippo.
Interpreting the thoughts of all seven young artists, Matilde thus summarizes what remains of their extraordinary experience: “From them [the martyrs of Algeria] we can certainly learn to say a firm and decisive 'yes' in the places and circumstances where we are called and wanted, even if it will cost us effort and sacrifice.”
In the hearts and faces of these young people, we perceive the same certainty and depth as those witnesses. They open us to hope for the future of the world, as Eliot's lines say: "In the deserted places we will build with new bricks." Generosity and freedom are the "bricks" of these wonderful young people.
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