I refer to Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci's dissertation on Willie Apap's painting Descent from the Cross exhibited at the Mdina Cathedral Museum, and Charlene Vella's write-up on it (The Sunday Times, June 22).

No doubt, this painting is a masterpiece if ever there was one. Indeed, it depicts "desperation, death, muted agony, emotional pain, earthly helplessness" with the eloquence of the brush worthy of a master.

However in no way should this work point to a crisis of faith in the artist during this period of his life (1964). Definitely this is a work of art showing physical suffering - Christus patiens - but Apap had similar works, even in his very early days, as demonstrated in his traditional Deposition of circa 1952. Was Apap in crisis then too?

Besides, Apap had other works of art depicting glorified heavenly beings - Christus triumphans - both in his early as well as in his later years, as are his various Resurrections and his 1966 Sacred Heart at the sanctuary of the Madonna di Capocroce in Frascati, Italy.

Apap had a yearning for the faith as his great contributions in the field of sacred art show - no artist would have produced such masterpieces if his heart was not there.

He may have been sharing and reaching out to those with doubts which any believer would have at one time or other. But stating that the artist was "losing his faith" and that moreover this is "paralleled in the moment he has here depicted" is unacceptable.

Which is not to say that Apap may not have had "concerns with religion and existentialism" throughout his life!