Francis NEWTON SOUZA
Francis Newton Souza, or F. N. Souza, was an Indian painter of the 20th century. He was one of the founders of the art movement PAG, the Progressive Artists' Group of Bombay. Accompanied and joined by artists such as Sayed Haider Raza, Vasuedo S. Gaitonde or M. F. Husain, this Indian modernist movement of the 1940s was to encourage Indian avant-gardism on a global scale. But F. N. Souza was also the first post-independent painter to enjoy such recognition in the West. The artist thus broke with traditional-style painting and imposed a much more personal style. A committed painter This Indian artist first studied at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay before being expelled in 1945 for supporting the Quit India Movement. In 1947, he decided to found the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group encouraging Indian artists to participate in the international avant-garde movement. Souza's career gradually developed, particularly through his exhibitions. Described as "deliberately eclectic" by Pierre Berger, the work of the Indian painter Souza was to be recognised by the critics in the course of his exhibitions. As a specialist in the purchase of Indian works of art and collectibles, our experts at Barnie's travel throughout Paris and throughout France to appraise your property free of charge. If you own a painting or a drawing signed F.N. Souza contact us, we will proceed to a precise expertise of them. A style marked with identity Francis Newton Souza is one of the most important modern artists in South Asia. For the artist that he was, art remained omnipresent, it was a sacred rite. A form of incessant self-searching and questioning of his creations. The painter's artistic trajectory varied in terms of subject matter, going from nudes to landscapes, with a focus on still lifes. His style was then largely imposed by the presence of broad black lines delimiting each of the forms strongly reminiscent of European artistic currents. Among his greatest works are The Crucifixion, in 1963, and Priest at Altar, dating from 1966. Indian art represented in the world N. Souza's career has also been punctuated by travels in Europe and North America. Settling in London and then New York, he had a difficult start followed by unprecedented success after the publication of his autobiographical essay in 1955. This essay would later allow him to get in touch with Victor Musgrave and to sell all his works in the space of an exhibition at Gallery One. Over the years, the Indian painter Francis Souza has thus become one of the references in Indian art. His works include landscapes such as The Red Road or Amsterdam Landscape, works whose value Barnie's is able to assess. Do not hesitate to contact us for any expertise. Expertise and estimation Francis Newton Souza