PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF MR. K.B. GOEL, ART CRITIC: Five chemical works by Francis Newton Souza from the Private Collection of the distinguished art critic K.B. Goel Lots 276-280

Francis Newton Souza (Indian, 1924-2002), Untitled, Cityscape, signed and dated lower left 'Souza 1979', Chemical work on magazine paper, mounted, glazed and framed, 26 x 26 cm. 

Provenance: The property of Dr. Premlata Goel, widow of the distinguished art critic, K.B. Goel; Gifted by Souza to his close friend, the art critic, K.B. Goel (1930 - 2018).

'An artist with no paint, no money to buy paint, paints without paint. That's how strong the creative process is, making something out of nothing ' - Francis Newton Souza. 

Souza developed his technique for creating chemical alterations on magazine paper in the late 1960s, shortly after his move to New York. He used a chemical solution that would lift the ink deposit on the print of glossy magazine pages, using the resulting mottled surface as the underpaint, then adding thick permanent marker strokes and on several occasions acrylic paint as well. This resulted in images that, although somewhat in the style of a collage, had greater spontaneity, painterly quality and depth of colour.

This cityscape stands out;  Souza seized the moment his eyes rested on this blue-coloured magazine image. His keen eye and active imagination raced to rework the image and like a diamond cutter would, created facets on a dead rough stone giving it its final awe inspiring bling. The structure of this scene may relate to a part of New York. What is most indelibly Souza’s is the transfer of energy through seamlessly knit together strokes. The beauty is maintained even though the imagery is lop-sided and incongruous. 

See also Shruti Parthasarathy ed., K.B. Goel, Critical Writings on Art, 1957–1998, Tulika Books, 2019