Important Notice

Lot 14

 

Quick Zoom

Souza's fascination with the female figure and the nude dominated a large body of works. He admired and held them in fear, and this conflict is apparent in many of his paintings. They carried a personal stamp, filtering the subject through the artist's eyes for the viewer. Writing about his approach to the nude, art critic Edwin Mullins noted, "He treats the erotic in several ways....His nudes are only occasionally painted as beautiful or even... Souza's fascination with the female figure and the nude dominated a large body of works. He admired and held them in fear, and this conflict is apparent in many of his paintings. They carried a personal stamp, filtering the subject through the artist's eyes for the viewer. Writing about his approach to the nude, art critic Edwin Mullins noted, "He treats the erotic in several ways....His nudes are only occasionally painted as beautiful or even as graceful, and even when they are, they have little of that enigmatic composure which is a feature of classical Indian art. On the whole his paintings of nudes are more gentle than most of his other work; they have less impassioned ferocity about them....They suggest a personal fascination with the female body, blended with an almost Swiftian disgust with its natural functions." (Souza, Anthony Blond Ltd., London, 1962, pgs.42 - 43)

This painting dates to 1962 and was made during Souza's time in England. He had moved there in the 1950s, exhibiting his paintings at various galleries in London. He continued drawing nudes through this period, and frequented bars and nightclubs in London and elsewhere. It is likely that he made this painting during one of his visits to a club. The dancer, fully nude, appears inured to the audience she is performing for. She strikes a pose, holding a fan in her left hand and raising the other-not driven by passion or sensuality, but by routine-her eye fixed on the viewer in contempt and tiredness. There is no grace or allure to her pose as the burden of her job weighs down on her. The painting is candid in its portrayal of the subject, and the viewer-the voyeur-is left with the uncomfortable knowledge of his role in the dancer's burdened pose.

Souza was also a writer; his preoccupation with the nude found expression in poetry. A verse from a poem titled "The Showgirl and the Dancer" highlights Souza's sensitivity to the plight of his subject: "...it's hard on her to make the show. Much burdened in between, she enjoys no pleasure....But he markets her produce. Then once for all she will be shattered."

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site