Francis Newton Souza

Grosvenor Gallery, London

London, Grosvenor Gallery, The Human and the Divine Predicament: New Paintings by F.N. Souza, March - April 1964

The Human and the Divine Predicament: New Paintings by F.N. Souza, Grosvenor Gallery, London, 1964, no. 18, unpaginated, illus.

Jhaveri, A., A Guide to 101 Modern and Contemporary Indian Artists, Mumbai, 2005, p. 87 illus.

Previous restoration has been done along the edges of the woman's figure and also on the whip. Restoration also along the right margin. In stable condition.
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This erotic painting by Francis Newton Souza was produced for an exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery titled The Human and the Divine Predicament - named after the two comprising elements in Souza's work - religion (suffering) and sex (pleasure). This painting possesses a dark and sensuous palette, and the placement of the shag rug in the foreground, creates the ambience of a boudoir. The whip the figure holds in her hand is associated at turns with the sadomasochism prevalent in both religious practice and in matters more profane. 

Commenting on two sketches of similar subject and period, Mervyn Levy states: 'Francis Souza, an artist passionately concerned with the nature of man, has often dealt with the theme of lust. This is frequently expressed by the juxtaposition of two simple images; the beautiful and voluptuous female, and the hideous male furtively grovelling and sidling towards the object of his desires. Usually in such pictures the woman is represented as indifferent to the advances of the man, or, as here, even unaware of them. But this is not a 'moral' statement; it simply illustrates in a suitably imaginative way an aspect of human personality.' (Mervyn Levy, The Artist & the Nude : An Anthology of Drawings, New York, 1965, pp. 10-11).

Souza has asserted, 'As a Roman Catholic youth, born in Goa, I was familiar with the priests bellowing sermons from pulpits against 'sex' and 'immodesty' particularly addressed to women, making them stricken with guilt. The Catholic men stood cocky in their suits and ties agreeing with the priests, lusting for naked women inwardly. Hypocrites!' (Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi, 2001, p. 92).

The nude form in the Girl with the Silken Whip is derived from a traditional Indian sculptural prototype. Her stance is slightly off-set in a tribhanga pose that emphasises her rounded bosoms and curving hips. Like the nudes of Manet, Picasso and Rouault, Souza's nudes go beyond the boundaries of convention. The women in Souza's canvases are naked rather than nude, their gaze is direct and assertive, acknowledging both their blatant sexuality and vulnerability.