A great artist was commissioned to paint a mural for a Sicilian cathedral depicting the life of Jesus. He struggled to find models for the faces of child Jesus and Judas Iscariot. While watching children play, he discovered a 12-year-old boy with an angelic face to serve as the model for child Jesus. Years later, a gaunt beggar at a tavern provided the sinister face for Judas. However, the beggar was revealed to be the original model from childhood.

1. BY BONNIE CHAMBERLAIN

3. Centuries ago a great artist was engaged in painting
a mural for a cathedral in a Sicilian town. The
subject was the life of Jesus.
CATHEDRAL

4. MURAL
- a wall painting

5. The painting was almost complete except for the faces
of two important figures. The faces of child Jesus and
Judas Iscariot . He searched far and wide for these two
faces
.
CHILD JESUS JUDAS ISCARIOT

6. One day the artist came across some children playing
in the street. Among them was a twelve year old child

7. Though the child was dirty he looked like an
angel. The artist took the boy home and
completed the painting of Child Jesus.

8. He continued his search for the model for the model for Judas but
in vain.
He had envisioned the model in his mind as a man warped by life ,
enfeebled by surrender to greed and lust

9. One afternoon when the artist was at the tavern he
found a gaunt and tattered figure begging for wine at the
threshold .The artist was startled . The face seemed to
bear the marks of every sin of mankind.

10. The artist said “Come with me ,I’ll give you wine and
food and clothing . Here at last was the model for
Judas.

11. As the work progressed a change came over the model. A strange
tension replaced the stuporous languor and his bloodshot eyes were
fixed with horror on the painted likeness of himself

12. As the work progressed a change came over the model.
The painter said “ My son I’d like to help you ‘,What
troubles you so?”
The model began to sob and buried his face in his hands “
Don’t you remember me ? Years ago I was your model for
Child Jesus

13. Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases given
below to form a complete meaningful paragraph
Centuries ago a great artist(i)_____ to paint a mural for the
cathedral in a Sicilian town. The subject was the(ii)_____.
For many years the artist (iii)_______ and finally the
painting was finished (iv)_______two most important
figures; the child Jesus and Judas Iscariot.He searched
(v)______ for models for those two figures .
(i) laboured diligently
(ii) far and wide
(iii) was engaged
(iv) life of Jesus Christ
(v) except for the

14. • An old priest told me the story when I was very young
Bonnie Chamberlain
• “ Wine , Wine”
The model for Judas
• “Come with me and I will give you wine , and food and
clothing
The artist
• “ My son , I’d like to help you “
The artist
• “ What troubles you so?”
The artist
• “ Do you not then remember me”
The model for Judas

15. MATCH THE FOLLOWING
1. Mural Author
2. Cathedral Model for Judas
3. Model for Child Jesus Wall painting
4. Wine Sicilian town
5. Bonnie chamberlain Twelve year old boy

16. CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION FOR THE FOLLOWING
SENTENCES
1. The artist was painting ____
a. the life of Judas Iscariot b. the life of a young man
c. the life of an aged man d. the life of Jesus
2. The model for the child Jesus was _______
a. 6 years old b. 12 years old
c. 14 years old d. an infant
3. The villainous model the artist sought was ______
a. Difficult to find b. readily available
c. located easily d. unwilling to pose for him
4. The young man who approached the artist begged for _______
a. Money b. wine
c. food d. clothes
5. The model was actually ___________
a. The artists’ son b. one who had posed for the child
Jesus
c. angry with the artist d. tortured by the artist

17. Read the passage given below and answer the questions
that follow :-
One day while walking in an old part of the city he came upon some
children playing in the street . Among them was a twelve year old boy
whose face stirred the painter’s heart .It was the face of an angel – a
very dirty one , perhaps, but the face he needed .The artist took the
child home with him, and day after day the boy sat patiently until the
face the child Jesus was finished .But the painter still found no one to
serve as a model for the portrait of Judas. For years , haunted by the
fear that his masterpiece would remain unfinished , he continued his
search. The artist painted the face of child Jesus using the boy as the
model .

18. QUESTIONS
1. What did the artist see in the street?
The artist saw some children playing in the street.
2. Whom did he come across in the street?
He came across a twelve year old boy in the street.
3. What kind of face did the boy have?
The boy had the face of an angel, but it was dirty.
4. What did the artist do with the help of the boy ?
5. What was the fear that haunted the painter?
The fear that haunted the painter was that his
masterpiece would remain unfinished.

19. Mind map
A great artist was
engaged to paint the
wall of a cathedral
The subject was
the Life of Jesus
The artist worked
on it for many
years
He searched for
models for those
two figures far and
wide
A twelve year old
boy’s face stirred
the painter’s heart
His face was like
an angel
They were the child
Jesus and Judas
Iscariot
Finally he completed
except for the two
most important
figures

20. THE END