Important Notice

Souza's portraits often reveal the truth of persona, character and often weaknesses, hidden behind the veil of the flesh. Never one for beautiful portraits, his cross-hatched lines serve as a witty, and sometimes vitriolic, commentary on men and their hypocrisy. The artist’s upbringing in a strict Roman Catholic family, his small-pox affliction as a child, his expulsion from the J.J. School of Arts, and his strained relationship with the Church,... Souza's portraits often reveal the truth of persona, character and often weaknesses, hidden behind the veil of the flesh. Never one for beautiful portraits, his cross-hatched lines serve as a witty, and sometimes vitriolic, commentary on men and their hypocrisy. The artist’s upbringing in a strict Roman Catholic family, his small-pox affliction as a child, his expulsion from the J.J. School of Arts, and his strained relationship with the Church, crystallised into the iconoclastic idiom he was famed for.

When he first entered the art world in the 1940s, his urge to create art that was true to his vision did not meet with an enthusiastic response in India. The majority of art still hovered in the shadows of European academicism, which prompted Souza to leave for England in hope for better opportunities and response to his work. He arrived in London in 1949 with his wife. He was surprised at what he felt was a stagnant art scene at the time, and the indifference of the average Englishman to art. The first half of the 1950s was a difficult and uncertain period for the artist. Perhaps the angst and frustration he experienced at being rejected by a number of galleries in London sharpened his critique of the elite, with what he considered to be their hollow, superficial ways of living. This disillusionment perhaps assisted in creating some of his most impactful works of the time.

The most striking aspect about the current lot is the layered personality that Souza has made so evident with his skilled strokes. The man appears to have experienced life with its numerous hurdles, and is no longer in his prime. Souza's precise and fluid lines form his subject's drooping posture. The intricate, criss-crossing lines of his coat give the impression of a meticulous facade. Despite this, the man's face reveals an emptiness and a lack of substance. Souza achieves this through contrasting details of the clothing with a bland face devoid of emotion. A lifeless shell stares back through hollow eyes. Lips shut tight, muscles tense around his jaw in cross-hatched segments in stark contrast to his bald pate. The stiffly wrapped muffler hangs heavily around his neck, metaphorically suggesting burden and weariness. Huddled in a corner of the frame, he tries desperately to hide his flaws from the viewer's discerning eyes.

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