Francis Newton Souza

Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection

Sotheby's, New York, Contemporary Paintings from the Chester and Davida Herwitz Charitable Trust, Part II, April 1996, lot 107

There are pinholes in the four corners along with a slight tear and crease at the bottom right, lower left corner and center left of the work as viewed. Minor losses to pigment throughout.
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This and the following lot are examples from Francis Newton Souza's early paintings produced in Bombay from the period, he had joined the Communist Party of India and following his expulsion from the J.J. School of Art. The subject-matter of his paintings at this time were often stimulated by his leftist beliefs. His depictions of the villagers looked to his Goan heritage for inspiration, illustrating peasants within their rural environment. It was during this time that he began to use saturated blocks of colour bordered by dark contours that were influenced by both Primitive art and the artist's appreciation of the stained glass windows of Goa.