Francis Newton Souza

The work has been recently cleaned and varnished, painting appears to be in very good overall condition, colours of original considerably fresher and more vibrant than the catalogue illustration, as viewed.
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This work painted in 1949 was the same year that Souza boarded a ship to London following the removal of two of his paintings from the Art Society of India exhibition in Bombay. Souza hoped to make a fresh start in London but when he arrived he found a very different country from the one he had expected. The first few years were difficult for Souza, penniless and miserable he was also affected by the post-War angst that influenced other British based artists. This work is typical of his early cityscapes the distinctive stained glass quality with bold black outlines enclosing brilliant hues of colour that resonate across the canvas. Rudi von Leyden's review of Souza's exhibition in Bombay the year before highlight these qualities 'Francis Newton's paintings, perturbing and bewildering to many reveal nevertheless the talent of a strong willed and imaginative artist... he confesses to the fascination of church music and stained glass windows. The luminous mosaic technique of the latter he employs under the influence of Raoult without imitating him. The total effect of this exhibition with its turbulence of colour, is exciting and soothing at the same time.' (The Times of India, November 1948).