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Lot 84

 

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As a child in Goa, Souza was fascinated by the pomp and pageantry of Roman Catholicism. Its rituals, and the ornate objects associated with them, played a large role in shaping this awe. As he explains, the Church “…had a tremendous influence over me, not its dogmas but its grand architecture and the splendour of its services… The smell of incense. And the enormous crucifix with the impaled image of a Man supposed to be the Son of God, scourged... As a child in Goa, Souza was fascinated by the pomp and pageantry of Roman Catholicism. Its rituals, and the ornate objects associated with them, played a large role in shaping this awe. As he explains, the Church “…had a tremendous influence over me, not its dogmas but its grand architecture and the splendour of its services… The smell of incense. And the enormous crucifix with the impaled image of a Man supposed to be the Son of God, scourged and dripping, with matted hair tangled in plaited thorns” (Edwin Mullins, Souza, Anthony Blond, 1962, p.42). Later, however, when the artist became aware of the pretences and double standards of organized religion, he found that this splendour was no more than rigid posturing masked in unnecessary ornamentation.

Souza’s dualistic relationship of wonder and contempt with Catholicism infiltrated his painting in every genre, including the still life, critically interrogating the notion of divine sanction, and its various interpretations and vehicles. In some of his still life paintings Souza painted objects including the Ciborium, Chalice and Patens that were clearly ecclesiastical. In others, like the present lot, Souza presents everyday vessels in a religious context, almost as if they stand on an alter awaiting their part in some liturgical practice. Here, a loaf of bread and a pitcher of wine represent the Eucharist, or the body and blood of Christ, sampled by the congregation in remembrance of the Last Supper.

Souza’s characteristic thick line is used both to delineate and to decorate the objects in this piece. Against a simple, monochromatic background, these pieces, each endowed with depth and intensity by the artist’s subtle cross-hatching, emphasize the gratuitous embellishment that is coupled with the ceremonies of the Church.

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