Francis Newton Souza

Acquired from Surya Galerie, Germany in 1976

Freinsheim, Surya Galerie, F. N. Souza, 10 October - 5 November 1976

There is a vertical abrasion parallel to the upper right edge and some pinhole sized losses visible under very close scrutiny. Slight surface dirt is present which is consistent with the age and medium. This painting is in good condition overall, as viewed.
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This 1971 work by Francis Newton Souza is an homage to the 19^th century French painter, Jean-Francois Millett’s iconic painting The Angelus. Salvador Dalí also paid tribute to this work much earlier, in 1933.

In the early 1970s, Souza travelled across America, and is known to have produced a series of very bright “countryside” paintings which were remarkably the most cheerful of his entire artistic production. While the composition and structure of the rural scene (with the enlarged figures in foreground enveloped by the horizon in the background) is a direct stimulus from Millet’s work, the colours are obviously Souza’s own. In a characteristic way, he lives up to the reputation of a figurative action painter by rendering the man and woman reciting the Angelus prayer in vibrant hues. Souza’s harsh expressionistic brushwork is successful in unleashing the scene from its ritualistic character. This contrast exemplifies Souza’s well-known antipathy towards religion and his refusal to accord any deference to biblical figures.