FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA (1924-2002)

In this painting the landscape is entirely subsumed by bright colors and heavy impasto brushwork. Painted during a time when Francis Newton 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. In a trance of complete painterly ecstasy, jabbing and jiving within the moment of painterly delight, Souza anoints the surface of the painting with rich gems of color squeezed straight from the tube. Souza has so much confidence in his gesture that he jettisons use of the black line completely - it is no longer used to maintain order within his composition. Color is set free from the linear constraints and directly controlled by Souza's mastery of technique.