The early 1960`s were seminal years for Souza, who, having made his breakthrough
in the London art and literary world a few years before, had finally found the global
success and recognition that was long his due. Following several exhibitions in
Europe and the Americas, Souza opened a solo show of his work in Bombay in 1963
after a decade`s hiatus from the city. The show elicited critical acclaim and sparked
a headline in the Times of India that boldly stated `Indian painting will never be the
same again`. At the same time, Souza had one of his essays, “Nirvana of a Maggot”,
published in the magazine Encounter, and published a book of essays and drawings
titled Words and Lines shortly after. In recognition of these accomplishments,
Edwin Mullins published a monograph on the artist in 1962, marking Souza`s place
amongst the most important modern artists of the time.
This distorted nude from 1965 clearly displays the dualities that informed Souza`s
unique body of work and guarantees his place in the annals of Modern and Post-
War Art. As Mullins explains, “It is [the] built-in conflict in Souza`s work which supplies
its restless, fighting quality and what I have called its ‘dedicated vulgarity’. It is as if
each painting were both an act of hate and an act of love… Escapism and catharsis. The
surface…becomes a battleground on which are fought out the fears and passions of one
man`s experience. On the dark side: the holocaust, horror of the flesh, bodies distorted by
fall-out or thalidomide, the weight of sin and evil, sexual longing and despair, a sense of
the ludicrous and the disgusting. Against this: the wonderment, the celebration of the flesh
and of fulfillment, a delight with the naked grace of a woman`s body…and awe at the
proximity and terrible power of God”
– F. N. Souza: The Human and the Divine Predicament
Grosvenor Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, 1964, unpaginated
The early 1960`s were seminal years for Souza, who, having made his breakthrough
in the London art and literary world a few years before, had finally found the global
success and recognition that was long his due. Following several exhibitions in
Europe and the Americas, Souza opened a solo show of his work in Bombay in 1963
after a decade`s hiatus from the city. The show elicited critical acclaim and sparked
a headline in t