Page 6 - The Arts Trust Souza The Centennial

100 Years of
Francis Newton
the birth of a rebel
Renowned for his bold and provocative art,
the iconic artist Francis Newton Souza was
born Francisco Victor Newton de Souza
on April 12, 1924, in Saligao, Goa. This year
marks his centenary.
Souza’s early life was fraught with
tragedy and hardship. His father, José Victor
Aniceto de Souza, who was also a teacher,
tragically passed away when Souza was only
three months old. His older sister also died
a year later. Navigating the challenges of
single motherhood, his mother, Lilia Maria
Cecilia Antunes, made a bold decision
to seek a better life in Bombay. However,
misfortune continued to shadow the family
as young Newton contracted smallpox, a
perilous disease that forced him to return
An enigmatic Souza, to Goa for recovery under the care of his
captured by famed grandmother. Despite the setbacks, Lilia’s
photographer Ida Kar resilience shone through. She leveraged
in 1961 her skill in needlework and she established
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the Institute of Needle Craft and Domestic
Science, gradually stabilising their situation
and providing Newton with the opportunity
for a better life and education.
Lilia’s devout Catholic faith played a
significant role in shaping her aspirations
for her son. Praying fervently to Goa’s
patron saint, St. Francis Xavier, she vowed
to dedicate Newton to the priesthood if he
was spared from the clutches of smallpox.
Miraculously, Newton recovered, and Lilia
laid the foundation for what she hoped
would be a devout path by enrolling him
in St. Francis Xavier’s High School, run by
Jesuit priests.
However, Newton’s spirit was
irrepressible. Disillusioned by the rigidity
and hypocrisy he perceived within the
education system, Souza manifested
his defiance with acts of truancy and
subversion. After two years at the school,
he was expelled for drawing pornographic