Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002)

Sotheby's, New York, March 19, 2008, lot 20

Overall condition good. Thick application of paint on masonite board. Minor chipping of paint along edges, mainly along right edge of painting. Small dent in upper right corner of board. Color slightly richer and glossier than catalogue illustration.
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Throughout his life, Souza continued to paint female nudes in many forms (particularly nubile, young nudes) and they remained central to his work. His early paintings were influenced by the voluptuous forms of classical Indian temple carving, but on his move to London, he increasingly absorbed more European influences. It has been suggested that Spanish Romanesque art inspired his iconic stances and frontal compositions, but although the current work postdates Souza's move to London, the form of the nude remains firmly entrenched within an Indian context. 

Souza's nude with broad hips, high rounded breasts, elaborate hair ornaments and heavy bangles is reminiscent of the fertility goddesses of the Kushan period, as well as early Shunga period terra cottas. The flower blossom further heightens this association with classical Indian traditions, for it relates an ancient belief that the natural fertility of a young maiden was so powerful that she merely had to touch a tree for its branches to blossom.  The current painting and several others like it appear to be Souza's own experimentation along a similar vein. In this respect, Souza's nudes go beyond the boundary of convention, and there is no attempt to attain the innocence of folk or tribal art; his intention is rather to face the contemporary world head on. The woman's confident gaze unnerves the viewer, acknowledging her blatant sexuality and vulnerability. 

"FN Souza is concerned with two main themes: religion (suffering) and sex (pleasure). In opposition, they comprise the essence of the human and the divine predicament, the dilemma of man in the mid-20^th century." (Mervyn Levy in conversation with FN Souza, Studio International Art Magazine, April 1964) Souza has combined these themes of sex and religion to highlight the complexity of their interrelationship. He draws upon the imagery of ancient Indian fertility figures, and yet his nude appears to be standing in front of a church.

The artist presents his very own "divine predicament" – brought up in a land of ancient beliefs that venerated the female form, Souza was a raised a Roman Catholic, wherein nudity and sexuality were frequently associated with the Christian concept of original sin. Souza explains: "... as a Roman Catholic youth born 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. The Catholic men stood cocky in their suits and ties agreeing with the priests, lusting for naked women inwardly. Hypocrites!" (FN Souza, "Naked Women and Religion", Debonair, 1992)