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Lot 5

 

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In the 1980s Souza lived in New York where he continued to experiment with landscapes and figurative works. His paintings from this decade, which included his uniquely devised "chemical drawings," demonstrate a brighter colour palette of vivid primary hues, as seen in the present lot. By then, he was already well recognised in international art circles, and his works had been part of many important group shows such as India: Myth and Reality... In the 1980s Souza lived in New York where he continued to experiment with landscapes and figurative works. His paintings from this decade, which included his uniquely devised "chemical drawings," demonstrate a brighter colour palette of vivid primary hues, as seen in the present lot. By then, he was already well recognised in international art circles, and his works had been part of many important group shows such as India: Myth and Reality organised by the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford in London in 1982, and Modern Indian Painting at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC in 1985.

This 1987 painting is based on Etruscan art, which Souza would undoubtedly have seen in museums during his time abroad. Western art traces its roots to Greece and Rome, and when Souza and his fellow post-Independence Indian artists went to study art in Europe and the United States, they incorporated their already rich cultural heritage with the new histories they were exposed to.

The grouping of the figures, and their dynamic poses are based on similar compositions seen in Etruscan and Roman sculpture and painting. The human body was always of primary interest to Souza, and in this unusual work, Souza uses bright and pure colours to create a figural study that highlights his skill as a master of line and composition.

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