Untitled (Nude with Headdress)

Nude with Headdress is a particularly early work in Francis Newton Souza's oeuvre, evident in both the deliberate naive purity in which the subject is rendered and the fact that the work is unusually signed 'NEWTON', with the first 'E' reversed'. This is a rare example of the artist using his first name as his signature, something that would only remain in his practice for a few more years. Whilst this depiction of a tribal figure shows an interest in the female nude, it predates his more erotic explorations that he would return to throughout his career. Souza treats his subject with reverence presenting it as almost totemic sculpture. This image of visceral veneration is a rare example of Souza's early command of expressive form and color as well as his hunger for experimentation.