Page 12 - The Arts Trust Souza The Centennial

forging a new path that bridged the gap people. Amidst the complexity of witnessing
Souza’s works were part of important exhibitions,
beginning with the PAG collective and his first
one-man show in 1955... both created quite the stir
His decision to stylize the figures, each
distinguishable by a spectrum of skin tones,
sets this work apart from his depictions of
beggars and street urchins.
In the work, one can also see the influence
of European artists, especially Paul Gauguin
and Henri Matisse, whose works Souza
may have seen in reproductions. The pink
sky, suggesting dawn, contrasts with the
bright blue sea, yellow boats, and colourful
pennants. Created in 1945, the year of his
first solo exhibition, this painting marks
the beginning of his journey to becoming
a celebrated master of modern Indian art.
Souza’s debut solo exhibition in
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December 1945 marked a seminal moment
in his career. Held at the Bombay Art
Society, the show was an out-and-out
success and garnered significant attention,
including the acquisition of The Blue Lady
by the Baroda Museum. Another painting
titled Ave Maria was acquired by Maria
Figueiredo, a girl employed by his mother
whom Souza would marry two years later.
The response also positioned him as a
leading voice in the burgeoning fraternity
of artists in Bombay. Fostering a sense of
brotherly camaraderie, he leveraged the
support of his contemporaries to champion
overthrowing artistic conventions and
between art and the masses. Souza’s
relentless pursuit of artistic autonomy and
social relevance found no favours with the
art establishment, and he faced several
rejections from the Bombay Art Society
until 1947, a poignant year not only for
Souza but also for modern Indian art.
While the works by Souza in the 1940s
showcased his strong political leanings,
a work titled View from Crawford Market,
Bombay stands out as a beautiful exception.
In this artwork, painted in 1946, Souza
revisits the landscape genre, creating an
idyllic and inviting scene that contrasts
sharply with the harsh social realities often
depicted in his other works. This painting
may be one of the few instances where
Souza portrays the bustling metropolis of
Bombay with such romanticism.
the pag comes to life
The Partition of India in 1947 left a trail
of chaos, and an unparalleled exodus of
‘Portrait of Souza
1’, an acrylic on
canvas (48 x 60 in)
painted in 2005 by
Manu Parekh
the liberation tainted by the harrowing
aftermath, modern artists expressed their
dissatisfaction by seeking to break free
from the artistic conventions and exploring
with unbridled freedom. So, in the spirit
of collective strength, they formed the
Progressive Artists’ Group, a union of like-
minded visionaries determined to carve
out a new artistic identity for India. Led by
Souza, S H Raza, and K H Ara, the group
initially comprised a handful of members
but quickly expanded to other artists such
as M F Husain, H A Gade, and S B Bakre.
Eventually, more artists, including Manishi
Dey, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb
Mehta, V S Gaitonde, and Krishen Khanna,
also came into the fold.
The Progressives undertook journeys
to broaden their artistic horizons and gain
diverse experiences. A famous recount is
Souza’s trip with Husain to New Delhi in
1948 to attend the ‘India Independence
Exhibition’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Their
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