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Lot 50

 

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"Beauty is Nature's creation; colours are a wonder; Light, which contains colours, is a miracle..." - F N SOUZA

F N Souza was one of the first Indian artists to achieve high distinction in the Western art space. Painted in 1961, the present lot belongs to a highly lucrative period that is generally considered the apex of his career. "For almost ten years, from 1956 to 1966, he dominated the British art scene, showing his work... "Beauty is Nature's creation; colours are a wonder; Light, which contains colours, is a miracle..." - F N SOUZA

F N Souza was one of the first Indian artists to achieve high distinction in the Western art space. Painted in 1961, the present lot belongs to a highly lucrative period that is generally considered the apex of his career. "For almost ten years, from 1956 to 1966, he dominated the British art scene, showing his work and selling regularly. He was written about extensively and received praise from critics such as John Berger, Edwin Mullins and David Sylvester, to name a few." (Rasheed Araeen ed., The Other Story: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain, London: South Bank Centre, 1989, p. 23)

In 1960, Souza was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Government to visit Italy and travel to countries in Europe, including Spain. The present lot - with its crisp, black lines and impassioned colour palette - was created a year after, and is a prime example of his works from this period. During this year, Souza was known to have painted a few works that reflected the Spanish landscape. It is likely that the present lot is inspired by the Renaissance painter El Greco's famous painting View of Toledo (1596-1600), one of only two rare landscapes that the 16th century Greek artist ever painted. In his rendition, Souza uses an intense, impasto-laden brushwork to depict the tempestuous, thundering sky - resulting in a tactile, three-dimensional effect that brings the landscape to life in an exceptional manner. In its subject, the present lot departs from the artist's characteristic works of this period, which often depicted the London cityscape.

Souza's landscapes exemplify his mastery over the elements of form and space. They reflect the prevalent anxiety and sombre atmosphere of postwar Europe, and contain a dark, prophetic impression of what lay ahead - perhaps indicative of the artist's inner thoughts at that time. "It is in his landscapes that are mostly of houses about to be ripped open from the surface of the earth that we sense an apocalyptic vision. It is as if a volcanic eruption is taking place and nothing can remain stationary. It is a virtual prediction of the end of the world. It was evident that a deep gloom underlay the brazen, audacious exterior of Souza." (Yashodhara Dalmia, Souza in London, New Delhi: British Council, 1228 February 2004, p. 13)

The present lot demonstrates Souza's fluid and skilful handling of line techniques that delineate the composition into one of constructed upheaval. There is precision, however, in the manner in which Souza details the surroundings, as seen in the architecture of the landscape. "The Landscapes, architectonic with their 'cubic factors' are ultimately lyrical. There's an unrestrained enthusiasm, a liberty in the application of color that is applied swiftly with a palette knife, creating smooth pulsating textures. While disregarding the limits of the picture plane roads break off into the endless sky and trees appear always in the foreground as colourful 'blurs' (a device Souza uses to create perspective). Our emotions are guided by the effects of the vibrant color schemes that belong to a world of subconscious fantasy indicative of the fertility of Souza's personal vision." (Anthony Ludwig, Souza, New Delhi: Dhoomimal Gallery)

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