Francis Newton Souza

There is craquelure present throughout the work, especially in areas of heavy impasto. The painting has recently been conserved. Conservation measures include relaxation of the canvas using slight heat and pressure, striplining, re-stretching and consolidation of minor paint losses. This painting is in stable condition, as viewed.
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When living in London, Francis Newton Souza travelled quite frequently to Europe and his landscapes from the mid 1950's to the early 1960's were clearly inspired by the religious architecture he saw in Europe. Souza completed a series of paintings while in Italy on a scholarship from the Italian Government in 1960, which were later exhibited at Gallery One in the exhibition 'Twenty Seven paintings from Rome'. But it is clear that a year prior to this, he also produced at least a few paintings based on the citadels and hill towns of Spain, however these appear to be less well documented. With as much expression and radicalisation as his portraits, this architectonic horizon of buildings is painted tightly against each other in a cubist manner. Souza is exploiting every available inch on this canvas to construct his cityscape, forming a series of overlapping and multi-faceted buildings, compressing perspective and forcing the structures to collapse on each other. Rendered using a dark and sombre palette, the limited colour range emphasizes Souza’s mastery with linear and geometric configuration. The hill top towns of southern Spain with their eclectic architecture bearing both Christian and Moorish influence may have held a particular fascination for Souza as they were likely to remind him of his native Goa which continued to inspire him throughout his career. He plays very cleverly with perspective here, as normally one would portray the skyline of buildings as coming out of the sky behind. But here, the urban tract, the green landscape, the sky, all seem to be emerging from each other.