Important Notice

Valldemosa takes its name from the scenic village in Mallorca, Spain. Souza captures the essence of the distinct townscape of houses and monasteries clustered against the Tramuntana range in the background. At the centre of the painting is the iconic 14th century Carthusian monastery, the Real Cartuja de Valldemossa, recognisable from its steeple. Souza created this painting a year after he was awarded a scholarship by the Italian... Valldemosa takes its name from the scenic village in Mallorca, Spain. Souza captures the essence of the distinct townscape of houses and monasteries clustered against the Tramuntana range in the background. At the centre of the painting is the iconic 14th century Carthusian monastery, the Real Cartuja de Valldemossa, recognisable from its steeple. Souza created this painting a year after he was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Government to visit Italy and travel to countries in Europe, including Spain. The townscapes he created during this period were markedly different from his earlier, darker landscapes of the 1950s. The present lot, with its crisp, black lines and smooth planes of colour, was created in 1961 when, for the first time, Souza used acrylics or polyvinyl acetate emulsion, a thin glue-like binder for pigments. Departing from painting on board, he had turned to canvas painting in this brief, experimental period. Souza's canvas is divided into cool and warm colour planes. The pale yellow and white architecture complements the earthy brown of the ground, the muted green of the mountains, and the halcyon blue of the sky. With its luminescent quality, Valldemosa is a rare work that marks a significant phase in the artist's career. Souza's choice of painting the village of Valldemossa gains further significance in its association with legendary musicians, artists and writers. The Real Cartuja had served as inspiration to composer Frederic Chopin, who lived there in 1838 - 39 with French writer Aurore Dupin. Immortalised by his stay, Valldemossa continues to attract visitors from around the world.

The present lot has been published in the artist's biography, F N Souza: An Introduction by Edwin Mullins, on p. 97 titled as Spanish Landscape.

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