FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA (1924-2002)

Souza traveled extensively in the 70s. Boarding a Greyhound bus Souza traversed the country absorbing a kaleidoscopic vision of the American landscape as it streamed by. Shifting his American vision from a focused and contemplative view of New York City to shutter-style snapshots of a virgin landscape, Souza's style evolved yet again. Painted from the memory of a previous trip west, The Tree Arch on the Road to Hawley Lake, Arizona is not a landscape dominated by black lines, it is one of dynamic colour and molten forms. The image, rather than being defined by the formalism of black lines, is entirely subsumed by bright colours and heavy impasto brushwork. Painted during a time when Souza discovered the writings of the Bhagavad Gita, this painting is a direct reflection of his uncontrollable painterly passion and overarching sense of spirit and joy.