.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Souza's Roman Catholic upbringing features strongly in his works from the 1950s and 60s. "The Roman Catholic Church had a tremendous influence over me, not its dogmas but its grand architecture and the splendor of its services. The priest dressed in richly embroidered vestments, the wooden saints painted with gold and bright colors staring vacantly out of their niches. The smell of incense. And the enormous crucifix with the impaled image of Man supposed to be the Son of God...." (F.N. Souza, F.N. Souza - Words and Lines, New Delhi, 1997, p. 10.)
At the age of five, Souza survived a near fatal attack of small pox in his hometown of Goa. As a gesture of gratitude, his mother added Francis to his christened name Newton in reverence to St. Francis, the patron saint of Goa. Here, the artist has shown St. Francis with a smattering of pockmarks on his face as a reminder of his experience.
At the age of five, Souza survived a near fatal attack of small pox in his hometown of Goa. As a gesture of gratitude, his mother added Francis to his christened name Newton in reverence to St. Francis, the patron saint of Goa. Here, the artist has shown St. Francis with a smattering of pockmarks on his face as a reminder of his experience.