A century of rebellion: Tracing FN Souza's artistic legacy

Shelly was expelled Van Gogh was expelled once Ostrovsky was expelled once Palme Dutt was expelled once I was expelled twicerdquo wrote FN Souza in a typically daring statement in his catalogue to the 1948 exhibition at the Bombay Art Society Salon A century after his birth in 1924 in Saligao Goa Souza remains one of the most expensive and prominent names for collectors and art lovers across the countryMinal VaziranildquoSouza is without doubt a trailblazer in modern Indian art and that canrsquot be declared in the past tense His work drew from diverse often classical influencesrdquo says Minal Vazirani president and cofounder SaffronartTo celebrate the centenary of Souzarsquos birth the venture is set to host an auction of 48 lots of Souzarsquos works Unsurprisingly he remains an artist in demand she reveals The auction will feature works that are lsquoevocative of Souzarsquos inner workingsrsquo Vazirani emphasisesThe man the enigmaBut what makes him such an attraction Early 1940s in the city of Bombay was rather complex admits art curator Ranjit Hoskote Calling it a lsquoglobal colonyrsquo Hoskote remarks ldquoIt was a very fertile and febrile city at the timerdquo To this Souza brought boldness ldquoWhat he brought into the Indian scenario was boldness in addressing the erotic and questions of death and mortalityrdquoFN Souza Pic CourtesyWikimedia CommonsIt was in the city that the artist founded the Progressive Artistrsquos Group a movement that would shape Indiarsquos modernist outlook in art ldquoThe group was deeply influenced by their surroundings and each otherrsquos ideasrdquo notes Vazirani The works on auction she shares were curated to highlight his lesserknown inspirations Hoskote points out an influence of Byzantine art in Souzarsquos famed iconographies as well as art from the Gupta periodPassing through BombayYet the city is a passing glimpse in FN Souzarsquos artistic memory Gallerist Dadiba Pundole points out that Souza left the city for England early in his career ldquoHe lived very close to Crawford Market But during the time he lived there he was still painting Goa through his landscapes He was only in the city a short whilerdquo he saysFN Souza Fireman 9 11 2001 Pic CourtesyArt MusingsBut the presence was always there Hoskote remarks that he grew up hearing the artistrsquos names in conversations between his parents ldquoThe Artistrsquos Centre was one of his many hangouts back in the early years It was a big locus for them PAG group There was Chetana now a restaurant and of course Jehangir Art Gallery and the Kala Ghoda neighbourhoodrdquoPundole recalls dropping Souza off at a hotel in Parel after their first meeting in 1984 ldquoHe Souza clearly preferred living among the crowds That environment fascinated him more than other parts of a city not just Mumbairdquo he admitsUntitled Head with Horns 1966Similarly for Sangeeta Raghavan gallerist Art Musings Colaba recalls him as an old family friend dropping by and working out of the house She shares how the artist would often stay with the family during his visits to the city ldquoI have a small stack of correspondence that they my father and Souza shared letters cards I remember one evening over dinner at my parentrsquos place he spontaneously started doing sketches of some friends It was quite a treat watching himrdquo she shares 100 years later perhaps Souza might continue to evoke similar memoriesLOG ON TO saffronartcom for details on the auctionRanjit HoskoteSouza in Bombaygtgt St Xavierrsquos CollegeFN Souza was a student of the prominent city institution in the late 1930s before being expelled for sketching on the wallsgtgt Sir JJ School of ArtsThe institution marked his first formal education as an artist before he was expelled again for participating in the Quit India movement of 1942gtgt Crawford MarketHis residence in the city of Bombay during his short stay gtgt Kala GhodaThe art district was the central hub for the Progressive Artistsrsquo Group of which Souza was a founding membergtgt Sewri Christian CemeteryIt was here that the avant garde artist was laid to rest following his demise in 2002