Page 25 - The Arts Trust Souza The Centennial

His personal life also underwent by Redmond’s theory, which explored the
changes; he divorced Maria and married new relationship between man, science,
his second wife, Barbara Zinkant. and nature.
In a 1984 painting titled Still Life With
the final chapters Skull, as with other works in the genre,
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Souza there is a distinctive compositional
fervently expanded his extensive body quality that serves as his hallmark. The
of work. During these final decades, his arrangement of objects showcases the
creations reflected a retrospective of his precision of his thought process and
career, revisiting all his signature styles, remarkable draftsmanship. In this piece,
including landscapes, nudes, still lifes, religious symbols are interspersed
heads, and especially biblical themes. with various other objects on the table,
While the early decades of Souza’s reflecting Souza’s Catholic upbringing
career were dominated by elements from and the profound influence of the Church
the Church, best expressed in his still lifes on his adolescent mind. The painting is
from the 1950s and 1960s and numerous dominated by shades of yellow. The skull
portraits of priests and prophets, from the is situated in one corner, serving as a stark
mid-1970s onwards, scenes from the life of reminder of the inevitability of death. This
Christ began to appear more frequently in ancient symbol, known as Memento Mori,
his canvases. translates from Latin to: ‘Remember that
Another reason Souza turned to you will die.’
religious narratives in the 1980s was to In the opposite corner, contrasting
highlight them as counterpoints to science, with the skull, stands a large vase filled
another area of fascination for the artist. with flowers, symbolising the blossoming
During this period, Souza was influenced of new life. The painting employs a more
warm shades such as yellow, beige, and red, from this period offer further insight
contrasting sharply against deeper blues into his choice of locations. For example,
and greens. Lake Maranacook, Readfield Depot Maine
Abandoning the thick bold lines, black (1971) depicts the placid lake in Maine. The
cross-hatching, and structured landscapes painting features multiple shades of blue
of the 1950s and 1960s, he transitioned with highlights of yellow, red, and green.
to a style that relied entirely on colour Dynamic, vigorous brushstrokes convey the
and thick impasto paint application. colourful beauty of the lake’s surrounding
This new approach resulted in bright, landscape and the unrestrained joy of
vivid landscapes that conveyed a sense of applying thick layers of pigment, often
freedom and joy in the tactile experience directly from the tube, to the canvas board.
of painting without the constraints of By eliminating structured lines from his
structured composition. compositions, Souza broke free from
During this period, Souza also his self-imposed discipline, allowing the
extensively travelled across the US, spontaneity of the creative process to take
primarily using Greyhound buses. This precedence. Another vibrant work from
mode of transportation allowed him to the same year, Clermont State Park, NY,
traverse the vast country, from Maine to showcases a palette dominated by bright
New York and further west to Arizona green and red. During this period, Souza
and beyond. Inspired by these travels, he also experimented with other media and
painted works depicting specific places techniques, such as manipulating printed
through different colour palettes, while images from magazines, catalogues, and
maintaining a consistent technique. newspapers using chemicals and drawing
The detailed titles of Souza’s works or painting over them.

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