Francis Newton Souza

(1924-2002)

Landscape in Blue

Footnotes

Provenance
Property from a private collection, UK.
Gallery One, London;
Acquired from the above;
Thence by descent.

Note: There is a Gallery One label on the reverse with the artist's name, title and date of the work.

'The eye of beauty: many artists have painted portraits, still-lifes, landscapes, compositions, but my work is different, because my concept of the universe's nature is different. Nature is structured from the microcosm to the macrocosm, atoms to galaxies, the structure of nature is a hierarchy,...nature is structured in a hierarchy of nuances from ugliness to beauty, beauty is the final nuance of nature. I am searching for beauty. Beauty in not in the eye of the beholder but the cultivated eye.' (Neville Tuli,, The Flamed Mosaic: Indian Contemporary Painting, Mapin Publishing PVT, 1997, p. 391)

Francis Newton Souza's early life was marked by a confluence of talent, ambition, and relentless determination. Born in 1924 in the colonial port town of Saligao, Goa, Souza's upbringing was coloured by the vibrant cultural tapestry of his native India. His early years were characterized by a precocious artistic talent and an irrepressible desire to break free from the constraints of tradition.

Souza's journey to artistic acclaim began with his enrolment at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, where he honed his skills and cultivated a distinctive style that would later distinguish him as one of India's most celebrated artists. However, it was his move to London in the early 1950s that would catapult him to international fame and cement his reputation as a pioneering figure in the world of modern art.

Upon arriving in London, Souza found himself amidst a thriving artistic community that was undergoing a period of profound transformation. It was here that he encountered the works of European masters such as Picasso and Matisse, whose bold experimentation and revolutionary approach to art would profoundly influence his own practice.

In the bohemian circles of post-war London, Souza quickly gained recognition for his uncompromising vision and unapologetic approach to artistic expression. His early works, characterized by their raw intensity and visceral energy, stood in stark contrast to the prevailing aesthetic sensibilities of the time, earning him both admirers and detractors in equal measure.

Despite facing prejudice and discrimination, Souza's talent and tenacity ultimately won out. In 1954, three of his works were exhibited and sold at Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, solidifying his status as a leading figure in the British art scene. It was during this exhibition that 'Souza met Victor Musgrave, who at that time had a tiny gallery in Litchfield Street, the original Gallery One. Musgrave offered to hold a one-man exhibition for him in February 1955, which coincided with the publication of his essay in Encounter, and made Souza an overnight success... Since then, Souza held several one-man shows, the most impressive being the one in 1961, at the Gallery One's new premises at North Audley Street, where his large paintings could be displayed to their full effect. (Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art: the progressives, Oxford University Press, 2001, p.88-89)

Untitled (Landscape in Blue) comes from this momentous year and marks a significant departure from the style he became known for. In contrast to Souza's usual strong landscapes with lopsided buildings, here he has produced a distinctly attractive image with an almost monochrome palette of blue, infused with splashes of yellow. This is similar to his more familiar use of red monochrome during the time, but is possibly inspired by Picasso's blue period from 1900-1904, and a precursor to his later 1960s 'black on black' works. Renowned for being a champion of draughtsmanship and critical of abstract works, in Untiled (Landscape in Blue) he appears to have married the two. Here the landscape with tree trunks and a chair are alluded to and there appears to be a disruption of conscious composition with both, the brush and paint, following a trajectory not pre-planned and yet there is a control of sorts which has produced a highly intriguing work.