Important Notice

The Roman Catholic Church, which dominated religious life in Goa, Souza???s birthplace, played a significant role in the artist???s life and work. The many churches of the former Portuguese colony, with their distinct architecture and impressive rituals, left a lasting impression on him: Souza was fascinated by the splendour of the services, their pomp and ceremony, their elaborate symbolism, and the grandeur of the priest???s robes and... The Roman Catholic Church, which dominated religious life in Goa, Souza???s birthplace, played a significant role in the artist???s life and work. The many churches of the former Portuguese colony, with their distinct architecture and impressive rituals, left a lasting impression on him: Souza was fascinated by the splendour of the services, their pomp and ceremony, their elaborate symbolism, and the grandeur of the priest???s robes and vestments. The icons of suffering saints, and the image of Christ martyred on the cross also deeply affected the artist, repeatedly appearing in his work, albeit in altered forms, throughout his artistic career. Souza, however, soon came to see the dogma of the Church as hypocritical and repressive, and perceived the institution???s use of guilt in manipulating its congregations as sordid. He became increasingly averse to the ideals of Catholicism, and his body of work was consumed by depictions of what he regarded as the religion???s subversive influence.

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