Francis Newton Souza and Mohan Sharma (1924-2002 ; 1942-1988)

Acquired directly from the artist in New York in the early 1980s

The paper contains minor foxing and staining due to age, particularly visible in unpainted areas. There are pin hole sized accretions and areas of rubbing, only visible upon very close inspection. This work is mounted and framed behind glass, and in good overall condition, as viewed.
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In 1965, Souza invited Mohan Sharma, a miniaturist to work with him in his studio. Impressed by Sharma's use of pure colour and fine lines, Souza produced a small body of works on paper inspired by the miniature tradition. Sharma was soon given the opportunity to show in London at Arts 38 Gallery, run by Souza's first wife, Maria Figuerado.

This rare gouache illustrates one of Souza's best known subjects, the head, a theme that the artist tirelessly explored during the 1950s and 60s. The heads of the 1950s, characterised by dark contours and a stiffness influenced by Spanish Romanesque art, gave way to a fluidity that often resulted in distortion. 'I have created a new kind of face... As you know, Picasso redrew the human face and they were magnificent. But I have drawn the physiognomy way beyond Picasso, in completely new terms. And I am still a figurative painter... When you examine the face, the morphology, I am the only artist who has taken it a step further.' (Y. Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art, The Progressives, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2001, p. 94)