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Lot Essay
"The Landscapes, architectonic with their 'cubic factors' are ultimately lyrical. There's an unrestrained enthusiasm, a liberty in the application of colour that is applied swiftly with a palette knife, creating smooth pulsating textures." (A. Ludwig, Souza, exhibition catalogue, Dhoomi Mal Gallery, New Delhi)
In the mid-1960s Francis Newton Souza was still consumed by his enduring fascination with landscapes and in particular the townscape. His works had become progressively more gestural and free in their application of paint as they became progressively more abstracted. This shift in emphasis is evident with comparisons with lots 25 and 31. Painted in 1964 this work captures a moment between the strong monolithic forms of the late 1950s and the expressive frenetic landscapes of the mid-1960s. It oscillates between the lyrical, the sublime and the malign. Souza's use of glowing greens and blues resemble the translucent luminescence of stained glass windows, whilst the sharp steeples suggest the Catholic architecture which informed so much of Souza's oeuvre.
In the mid-1960s Francis Newton Souza was still consumed by his enduring fascination with landscapes and in particular the townscape. His works had become progressively more gestural and free in their application of paint as they became progressively more abstracted. This shift in emphasis is evident with comparisons with lots 25 and 31. Painted in 1964 this work captures a moment between the strong monolithic forms of the late 1950s and the expressive frenetic landscapes of the mid-1960s. It oscillates between the lyrical, the sublime and the malign. Souza's use of glowing greens and blues resemble the translucent luminescence of stained glass windows, whilst the sharp steeples suggest the Catholic architecture which informed so much of Souza's oeuvre.