Francis Newton Souza

Acquired in India, circa 1990s

This drawing with the solitary man wearing a European suit jacket relates closely to the first gentleman depicted in Souza's series of sketches entitled 'Six Gentleman of Our Times' illustrated in Words and Lines. His wide frame and thick neck support a disproportionate and grotesque head. The heavy shading of the face with scar-like incisions to the chin draw parallels with Souza’s own appearance. He was afflicted with a severe case of smallpox as a child and his mother attributed his survival to her prayers to Saint Francis. Souza was named after him as a sign of her gratitude. The illness was to have a lasting impact on Souza’s self-image; “smallpox ruined my looks […] it waylaid me with its course all over my face and body.” (Diary entry from ‘My Dharma has been thus’ cited in George Melly, F. N. Souza: Religion & Erotica, London, 2005, note 1, p. 12)