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Lot 10

 

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Offering insight into his reading of human society, Souza's figurative paintings from the mid and late 1950s are considered by many to be some of his most seminal works. As Mullins notes, "Souza's treatment of the figurative image is richly varied. Besides the violence, the eroticism and the satire, there is a religious quality about his work which is medieval in its simplicity and in its unsophisticated sense of wonder" (Edwin Mullins, Souza,... Offering insight into his reading of human society, Souza's figurative paintings from the mid and late 1950s are considered by many to be some of his most seminal works. As Mullins notes, "Souza's treatment of the figurative image is richly varied. Besides the violence, the eroticism and the satire, there is a religious quality about his work which is medieval in its simplicity and in its unsophisticated sense of wonder" (Edwin Mullins, Souza, Anthony Blond Ltd., London, 1962, p. 40).

The artist's "...particular strength lies not in his refusal to admit the importance of abstract art, but in his capacity to find in figurative painting everything that he needs; so much so, that he cannot understand why any other artist can do anything else. 'To paint abstract paintings is quite impossible.' Souza has written, 'it's like trying to paint thin air and those who think they do are fooling themselves. They claim to be going "beyond". Beyond what? Beyond zero is minus. They say the spectator must bring his own imagination to work upon their painted surfaces, which means that the spectator should do all the work. It's another instance of the Emperor's clothes. And if this is "art", then I'm the little boy who shouts 'it's naked!'" (Ibid., p. 36).

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