Dhoomimal Gallery’s Souza Retrospective show at New Delhi’s Lalit Kala Academy has just got over. As is to be expected, it has already been or will soon be reviewed in all major national publications and art journals. The general consensus has been that this was the mother of all shows and the capital’s most ambitious Souza show. It is important to mention this, since Dhoomimal has previously held four other major Souza shows, in 1966, 1976, 1984 and 1993. No doubt, if Souza had not passed away prematurely in 2002 — just as Indian art was beginning to hit its peak — there might have been another Souza show by Dhoomimal Gallery before this latest one.

Curated by Yashodhara Dalmia, the FN Souza show is special in many ways. To begin with, it brings viewers the largest range of styles that Souza had dabbled in and the subjects that he had chosen to depict over the years. Drawings and canvases we have seen before, but at this show we see chemical alterations, which have seldom been seen. At the show, pride of place has been given to canvases dating back to 1964, depicting faces – or should we call them portraits. Two are of women and another highly impressive one depicts Moses.

There were also a number of splendid landscapes that deserve special mention. For me the Sunny Landsacape, painted almost totally in bright yellow was the highlight of the show along with Moses. Unfortunately, for buyers, these splendid works are not for sale, but it might be interesting to conjecture what they might have been worth. When we discuss prices, Souza’s name always features at the top rung among Indian artists.

About his subjects, many have said Souza stayed as far away as possible from the Church, but having been brought up in Goa, was unable to keep from depicting churches in his landscapes and saints such as St Francis (painted in 1961 and auctioned by the Christie’s in 2004) and the splendid Moses and The Ten Commandments. In this portrait, he portrays Moses with his white beard against red panels depicting The Ten Commandments. There are also a number of Pietas, which also show his close involvement with the religious mood of Goa. Another important work, Souza’s Last Supper also seen at this show, is interesting as only Jesus’s face is shown with normal features while the faces of the apostles are disfigured, as in many of the artist’s works.

More recently, at Christie’s auction of Modern Asian Art in 2008, Souza’s Birth was sold for more than Rs 11 crore. This brings us to Souza’s obsession with the female body. It has often been said that as he grew older, the female bodies that he drew became more and more voluptuous. At the show there were a large number of nudes to be seen – drawings in pen and ink, ink with colour, pastels, sketches on canvas and more. Some of these were on sale and it is hoped that Souza fans would have picked up these works, as it is unlikely that another such opportunity will present itself in the near future.

Dhoomimal appears to be in the throes of finalising their plans for the Permanent Art Gallery that has been on the cards for some time - the Souza Section will naturally hold pride of place. A permanent exhibition of the works of Francis Newton Souza in the land of his birth is something we will all look forward to with pride.