Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002)

Previously in the collection of Anthony Blond

Saffronart London, 14 October - 19 November 2005, lot 26

E. Mullins, F N Souza, Anthony Blond Ltd., London, 1962, illustration p. 31

A. Kurtha, Francis Newton Souza: Bridging Western and Indian Modern Art, Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 2006, illustration p. 120

This work was previously attached to the frame with small nails which have now been removed, hence there are minor areas of loss along the edges of the canvas. There are areas of brown accretion in the blue upper right and woman's elbow, visible in catalog illustration, and varied areas of discoloration to the canvas and varnish due to age, most noticeable at far edges. This discoloration is darker than it appears in the catalog illustration. There are varnish drips along the upper edge and small flecks of accretion throughout. Blue areas appear brighter than in the catalog illustration. This canvas has been relined.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This work was previously in the collection of Anthony Blond, the publisher of Francis Newton Souza's celebrated 1962 monograph by Edwin Mullins. This work is not only notable for its exceptional provenance but as a work emblematic of its time within Souza's own biography by this depiction of a member from his artistic circle in his London heyday in the Sixties.

Souza's female nudes tend to be iconic figures powerfully expressed in thick black contours. In both his early writing and many of his works there is a clear conflict in his presentation of the female. His depictions of women vacillate between the placid and the erotic. The relationship between sex and Original sin pervades his outlook on the female form. Souza made regular references to Christian figures; Jesus and his disciples, the Madonna, and a litany of popes, prophets and saints in his canvases. The current work perhaps reveals this tension as the beautiful partner of Anthony Blond is pictured breastfeeding her child, Alexander. The sexualised depiction of this naked woman is subverted by the innocent act of nourishment that is taking place. In this work, Souza has cleverly amalgamated perversion with the mundane.

This composition mirrors that of the Madonna and Child painted throughout history. Souza has modernized this depiction with a patrician-looking female gazing starkly at the viewer or the artist. Souza's artistic forbearer Pablo Picasso was also known to have painted varying depictions of the female form, ranging from the neo-classical beauty to the grotesque succubus.

The years between 1955 until 1963 were considered to be the height of the first wave of Souza's commercial success, while exhibiting steadily between London, Paris and Bombay. During this period of Souza's golden reviews, journalist Guy Brett of The Guardian wrote: "... Most critics and dealers whose job it is to spot emerging talent cherish the belief that quite independent of activities of the so-called avant-garde, there are always and will be great figurative painters. Somewhere or other, they feel there must be a man, a Van Gogh, who is really painting from the bottom of his heart ... FN Souza seems to be the perfect candidate for this category." (Aziz Kurtha, Francis Newton Souza: Bridging Western and Modern Indian Art, Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, 2006, p.41)