Important Notice

In a career defined by scathing portrayals of individuals and society, Souza painted some landscapes which exemplify his mastery over the elements of form and space. The present lot, painted in 1964, is an almost perfect expression of the constructed compositions and line techniques at which Souza excelled. In 1960, he was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Government, to visit Italy and other countries in Europe, including France. The present... In a career defined by scathing portrayals of individuals and society, Souza painted some landscapes which exemplify his mastery over the elements of form and space. The present lot, painted in 1964, is an almost perfect expression of the constructed compositions and line techniques at which Souza excelled. In 1960, he was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Government, to visit Italy and other countries in Europe, including France. The present lot shows a clear concern with formal structure and composition, as seen in similar work set in the south of France by Cezanne. Village scenes in Provence provided the setting for French Impressionists as well as several of India's leading Modernists, who were there to explore new ways of seeing. It is unclear if the city in the present lot is set on a mountainside or whether the city itself builds up the mountainside. The sloping roofs, walls and foliage is drawn with Souza's "iconic line" and only a separation of green and brown colours creates a horizon line.

In a 1989 article published in The Times of India, Souza expounded on the distinct language for landscape painting which was developed by Indian artists. It provides a context for the present lot and explains how Indian artists were searching for their own individual identities during this decade. "We can now look back and be surprised at how those of us from the Progressive Artists' Group, Raza, Gade and myself, completely broke away from the wishy-washy 19th century English watercolourists, an influence which prevailed in Bombay even in the 1940s, and came into our own individual styles; our landscapes were not only very different from those of British painters like to Turner and Constable, we were, although we were very modern, different from the French impressionists. We were bold and full of fire. Our landscapes were full of brilliant colours!" (F N Souza, "Red Trees, Black Skies," The Times of India, 4 June 1989, p. 4)

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