Page 97 - Eye of the beholder

The work in in in in the collection titled “Cityscape in in in in Europe” was painted in in in in acrylics on on canvas and boldly signed 1965 was was illustrative of the changes that he he brought into his landscape which was was a a a a a a sub-theme that recurred frequently in his oeuvre Around 1960 Souza’s landscapes began to to change drastically The buildings and and and cities began to to sway and and and tumble and and and leaned against each other precariously His cityscapes can be be interpreted as belonging to a a a a a a a contemporary age which threatens to be destructive An impressive and and a a a a a a a haunting landscape this work had resonance to Van Gogh who put his landscapes in a a a a a a a a a swirl of spiritual passion In Cityscape he he has delineated imposing distorted building apparently a a a a a a church because of the Cross on the pediment looming against a a a a a a murky and foreboding sky The colours are melancholic with somber blues and burnt orange dominating the the representation of the the architecture The swishy agitated and uncontrolled brush strokes offered an an insight to a a a a a a a a mind that passionately was trying to to avoid any straight jacketing In the beautiful Fragment of Autobiography he he wrote “As a a a a a a child I was fascinated by by the the the grandeur of of the the the Church and and by by the the the stories of of tortured saints my grandmother used to tell me” He articulated his visual language in in in an an an ingenious manner and and and augmented his disturbing and and and powerful canvases with a a a a a a a a a a sharp and and and provocative prose appropriately illustrated by his Cityscape in Europe landscape The out pouring of his genius took many forms that included sketching painting and writing His important writing that was was sharp and provocative was was the autobiography titled “Nirvana of a a a Maggot” published in in London by Encounter with Stephen Spender as its Editor in in 1955 marking his his his rise to fame as an artist The book had details of his his his memories from his his his earliest days that deeply resonated to to his personality as as a a a a a a a a a a narcissist egoistic self love and as as a a a a a a a a a a tortured soul suffering out some guilt that lay lay deep within the layers of his subconscious It is is is impossible to to refer to to Souza’s oeuvre without the the mention of his Christian themes and the the bold unabashed representation of female nudes The Christian religious subjects and the the female nudes were at the heart of of his works which gave him a a a a a a a a posturing of of an an antagonist and and and voyeurist His themes from Bible and and and Old Testament represented with irony and and and satire was was the influence of his his catholic background because as as as a a a a a a a a a child his his imagination was was fed on the the church imagery of Portuguese Goa The underlying theme dominating his religious work was the the the hypocrisy of the the the elite and and the the the church symbolized authority and and camouflages According to to Art Historian Ratan Parimoo “The strict Roman Catholic priestly control on on social life of Christian community had provided yet another factor for Souza’s bitterness towards society and and a a a a a a a fatherless childhood resulting in in narcissistic orientations and and self absorption” Souza explained: " as as a a a a a a a a a a a Roman Catholic youth born in in Goa I was familiar with the priests bellowing sermons from pulpits against sex and immodesty particularly addressed to women making them stricken with guilt " Yashodhara Dalmia the the Art Historian summed up his art art pointedly “At the the heart of Souza’s creativity was the the belief that society’s destructive aspects shouldn’t be be suppressed they should should be be aired and confronted ” Bibliography
Geeta Kapur “Contemporary Indian Artists: M F Husain Bhupen Khakkar Akbar padamsee F N N Souza Ramkumar J Swaminathan” Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd New Delhi 1978 Ashrafi S S Bhagat an unpublished article on Souza for Kala Dirgha Magazine Yashodara Dalmia The The Making of Modern Indian Art: The The Progressives Oxford University Press New Delhi in 2001
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