Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002)

Oil on linen canvas. Canvas slightly loose on stretcher otherwise appears to be in good overall condition. Original colors brighter than catalogue illustration especially in whites and blues.
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Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) was the author of the famous poem Death and the Maiden (the title of the current painting) which was later used by Franz Schubert in 1817 for one of his most celebrated songs, which in turn became the basis for his 1824 String Quartet of the same name.

The Maiden:

Pass by! Oh, pass by!

Go away, fierce man of bone!

I am still young, go my dear!

And do not touch me.

Death:

Give me your hand, you beautiful and delicate form!

I am a friend, and am not come to punish.

Be of good cheer! I am not savage,

You will sleep softly in my arms!

The theme of a personified Death approaching a virginal maiden is rooted in ancient mythological traditions including the ancient Greek story of the abduction of Persephone by Hades, God of the underworld. Death personified became popular in Europe in the middle of the 14th century during the Great Plague and the theme of the Dance of Death appears frequently in Medieval European art.  By the end of the 15th century the subject of Death and the Maiden becomes a central theme where there is a strong mood of eroticism in the imagery. The young maiden was no longer involved in a dance, but in a sensual embrace, which became more and more erotic as time went by.  In 1894 Edward Munch produced an engraving of Death and the Maiden. The work does not conform to traditional representations where Death was often represented in a sexually aggressive way. Instead Munch suggests a victory of Love over Death: the girl is not dominated, by Death, but rather embraces him passionately.

Souza's fascination with the female nude is well documented, and frequently his depictions of couples are in the form of a monstrous male figure in erotic embrace with a young beautiful girl. In several erotic sketches from roughly the same period as this work Souza's male figures often appear as a ghostlike shadows. It is therefore no surprise that the subject of Death and the Maiden would have held an appeal for him and offers him the perfect art historical precedents for him to play with one of his favorite themes; that of the Beauty and the Beast.