Important Notice

“Why should I be sparse and parsimonious when not only this world but worlds in space are open to me? I have everything to use at my disposal.” - F N SOUZA

F N Souza’s landscapes from the 1960s were dominated by a rather apocalyptic vision. They reflected both the post-war gloom of Britain and the mounting tension between nations in the aftermath of the war. Around this time, “Souza’s landscapes begin to change drastically. A huge... “Why should I be sparse and parsimonious when not only this world but worlds in space are open to me? I have everything to use at my disposal.” - F N SOUZA

F N Souza’s landscapes from the 1960s were dominated by a rather apocalyptic vision. They reflected both the post-war gloom of Britain and the mounting tension between nations in the aftermath of the war. Around this time, “Souza’s landscapes begin to change drastically. A huge cracker seems to go off in the foundations of his cities and the buildings begin to sway and tumble and lean against each other in frantic postures.” (Geeta Kapur, “Devil in the Flesh,” Contemporary Indian Artists, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., 1978, p. 30) As noted by Yashodhara Dalmia, these landscapes “seem to be driven by a cataclysmic force, which wreaks havoc... The tumbling houses in their frenzied movement are also symbolic of all things falling apart, of the very root of things being shaken, of a world of the holocaust and thalidomide babies...of nature gone awry, of a demonic force behind the appearance of things.” (Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 93)

The present lot depicts one of the views as seen from the roof of Souza’s London studio in 1960. Many of his landscapes from this time were inspired by architecture around his studio in North London, as well as that of other locations he encountered during his travels in post-war England. Yet, as can be seen from the cluster of heavily distorted buildings, his landscapes from this time had become progressively more expressive and gestural, giving more of an abstract impression of the location, rather than a literal depiction.

Souza’s vibrant energy is reflected in the present lot, not only in his frenzied brushstrokes and bold lines, but also in the disorder and chaos that marks the composition. The turbulent blues of his skies spill into the vivid reds of the buildings, and create an exceptionally dramatic environment. This vibrance was a characteristic of many of his landscapes from the time which were “often distorted to the point of destruction – houses no more than lopsided cubes... But they never threaten to dissolve into formalized abstract shapes. The violence and speed with which they are executed keep these images, however distorted, in touch with the painter’s vision of what they really are.” (Edwin Mullins, Souza, London: Anthony Blond Ltd., 1962, pp. 36-38)

Each component of the painting is framed by his iconic black line. “Of the pictorial elements it is decidedly the line which is the most developed part of Souza’s vocabulary. Whether it is ornamental or abrupt, lyrical or diabolic, Souza’s line is derived from Picasso; from Picasso’s unmatched virtuosity in delineating an object or figure with sheer element of line... His paintings are really drawn in paint, the line predominating over all other elements and serving to outline, encase and define an image; serving also to provide tonal variations... and to give the painting a structural and surface unity.” (Kapur, pp. 56-57)

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