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Lot 10
Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002)
Estimate : 5,00,000 - 6,00,000

In 1962, Francis Newton Souza was given a solo exhibit at Gallery One in London. For this show, he executed several sketches as studies for paintings he would make. Executed as a prepatory sketch, this work was eventually transformed into a painting, as a monumental work for that exhibition. The painting was recently displayed Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India at the Asia Society Museum, New York in 2018.


'Souza had sketched his first nude at the young age of sixteen. For him, the body was a means to express both torment and fascination. The extraordinary voluptuousness of the female figures in Souza’s nudes are firmly rooted in Indian art historical tradition, with the perfectly rounded breasts and buttocks recalling an entire history of full-bosomed erotic imagery from the tantric to the miniaturist. The female figures of Buddhist and Hindu temple sculptures also reflect in his works. Unlike the languorous nudes of Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse, Souza's figures are somehow both sensuous and brazen.'
(excerpt from exhibition text for F.N. Souza: 52 Years on Paper: 1946 - 1998. grosvenorgallery.com)


In their entirety, Souza's nudes offer an alternate picture of the female body, standing in stark comparison to the academic 'reality' female anatomy. These nude sketches from the sixties portray his models in their everyday routine, directly challenging the way we understand beauty and sexuality. His nudes, male and female, are permanently distorted and disturbed. 'Through these distortions, Souza not only celebrated the raw sexuality of Indian women which were suppressed in Indian paintings but also lay bare and questioned the moral construction of Indian historical paintings which adhered to norms of traditional beauty and suppressed sexuality. The contorted figures of the women took shape as the artist indulged in brush strokes strongly scratching and cross-hatching lines.'
(text courtesy: Sex, Nudity and Women: Exploring F. N. Souza’s Perspective. dhoomimalgallery.com)


(Painting from the collection of Payal and Rajiv Choudhuri)

Hammer Price :
5,50,000
+ Buyer premium (10 %)
 55000.00
Total
6,05,000
The lot has ended
Description

In 1962, Francis Newton Souza was given a solo exhibit at Gallery One in London. For this show, he executed several sketches as studies for paintings he would make. Executed as a prepatory sketch, this work was eventually transformed into a painting, as a monumental work for that exhibition. The painting was recently displayed Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India at the Asia Society Museum, New York in 2018.


'Souza had sketched his first nude at the young age of sixteen. For him, the body was a means to express both torment and fascination. The extraordinary voluptuousness of the female figures in Souza’s nudes are firmly rooted in Indian art historical tradition, with the perfectly rounded breasts and buttocks recalling an entire history of full-bosomed erotic imagery from the tantric to the miniaturist. The female figures of Buddhist and Hindu temple sculptures also reflect in his works. Unlike the languorous nudes of Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse, Souza's figures are somehow both sensuous and brazen.'
(excerpt from exhibition text for F.N. Souza: 52 Years on Paper: 1946 - 1998. grosvenorgallery.com)


In their entirety, Souza's nudes offer an alternate picture of the female body, standing in stark comparison to the academic 'reality' female anatomy. These nude sketches from the sixties portray his models in their everyday routine, directly challenging the way we understand beauty and sexuality. His nudes, male and female, are permanently distorted and disturbed. 'Through these distortions, Souza not only celebrated the raw sexuality of Indian women which were suppressed in Indian paintings but also lay bare and questioned the moral construction of Indian historical paintings which adhered to norms of traditional beauty and suppressed sexuality. The contorted figures of the women took shape as the artist indulged in brush strokes strongly scratching and cross-hatching lines.'
(text courtesy: Sex, Nudity and Women: Exploring F. N. Souza’s Perspective. dhoomimalgallery.com)


(Painting from the collection of Payal and Rajiv Choudhuri)

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