When masters practiced their brush strokes

A city gallery is giving art fanatics a rare chance to peep into work-in-progress sketches, doodles and musings of the legendary artist, the late Francis Newton Souza

Francis Newton Souza did not really care about the viewer's pleasure when he created a series of doodles as part of the collection titled Before the Canvas, currently displaying at the Miniature Gallery at the Apparao Galleries in the city.



This is because, according to Malavika Prakash, who runs the Bangalore arm of the Chennai-based Apparao Galleries, "These sketches are Souza's own expressionistic view of the world. He draws as he sees the world and its not really meant for the viewer's pleasure."

Souza, who passed away in 2002, is considered to be a legendary Indian expressionist and has made these sketches depicting goddesses, women with big busts and mother with child perhaps as a blueprint for ideas that went on to become paintings later as part of his Madras sketchbook. These small format drawings belong to a private collection and were drawn by Souza during the 80s.

His style is often described as expressionist, where the artist presents a rather subjective view of the world, his view, rather than what the viewer would like to see. His style has also been known to compare with the Art Brut or French for raw or rough art that is art created outside boundaries of the accepted norms and culture.
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Souza was a pioneer of the Progressive Arts Movement in Bombay, a group of prominent Indian artists who chose a modern take combined with expressionist styles, cubist structures and post impressionist hues. Souza started this movement in 1947 along with MF Hussian, SH Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb Mehta and SK Bakre.

Born in Goa in 1924, after pursing art at the Sir JJ School of Art, a young Souza found himself suspended from the school because of his involvement in the Quit India movement in the 40s. Souza rejected the rigid, classical style prevalent in those days and instead developed a stormy, disturbing expressionist style that expressed his political and emotional opinion at that time.

After the country's independence, Souza moved to London and then on to Paris before settling in New York and finally resting in peace in India.

Though you might not be able to see Souza in his full glory, you might get glimpses of his fiery works through these blueprints in pencil drawings and water colours.u00a0

At: Apparao Galleries, St Marks Road
On till: November 28, 11 am to 7 pm
Call: 96861 12075