In the light of a similar work becoming the highest selling for an Indian artist
Revisiting a controversial
subject can be even more controversial especially if the artist in question is
F N Souza, the enfant terrible of
Modern Indian Art and now the highest priced Indian artist if one goes by
auction results. The artwork titled ‘Birth’
that apparently sold for Rs 27 crores is an excellent example of how a section
of the art fraternity, previously in denial, has now done a complete volte-face
by acknowledging the fact that a painting combining three or even four
different composite pictures can indeed be a genuine work and a record-breaking
one at that.
In the aforementioned context, to
dispel Goebbels law — “speak what is untrue several times over and it becomes
the truth”, we revisit a similar monumental work from the same period that was chastised
as anomalous, weak and suspect simply because it represented all the Souza
characteristics – a landscape, Christ and a woman – on one canvas. The work in
question is ‘Mary Magdalene’ and it has taken another work called ‘Birth’ to
demystify the myth surrounding similar compositions of Souza, which by all
accounts were rare but not really unchartered territory. On the contrary in the
1950s, when both these works were executed, Souza was known to have been
deploying a specific style of compositional pattern, wherein he divided the
visual space into two or three parts. On the top half he usually depicted a distant landscape whereas
in the bottom half he presented the protagonists against a flat background,
quite reminiscent of the Indian miniature painting traditions. At times he
deftly interlinked the two spaces with drips of colour or a simple wedged line.
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| 'Birth' by F N Souza, 1955 |
 |
| 'Mary Magdalene/Crucifixion' by F N Souza, 1956 |
If “in terms of scale, subject,
period and provenance Birth represents the magnum opus of Souza’s
career”, the 1956 painting depicting Crucifixion/Mary
Magdalene is not far behind as not only its period and provenance but also
the subject is of great importance as it freezes the presence of Magdalene on
the eve of the hapless night of Crucifixion. All further depictions, labels
(Suruchi Chand et al) and conspiracy theories can only be attributed to the
significance of the subject, as recurrent themes were a well-documented part of
Souza’s oeuvre.
Related Posts:
1. Picture is looking less perfect for Indian art - The Mint, 26 July 2008
Related Posts:
1. Picture is looking less perfect for Indian art - The Mint, 26 July 2008
