Goa-based, literary-art critic and writer Janeita Singh, embarked on a self-healing journey 12 years ago and on the way discovered the world of Goan artist, Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002). This critical study is now compiled in 21 essays in a book titled, ‘FN Souza: The Archetypal Artist,’ which was released on April 12 this year, the birth centenary of the artist.
On Sunday, July 7, Janeita will be in conversation with art historian and curator Lina Vincent at Museum of Goa, Pilerne, to discuss about the book. Janeita who spent 12 years on studying Souza and his art describes that it was not to delve much about his persona but his inner world. This outcome was because of her study in Jungian psychology during her self-healing process.
Speaking further about Jungian psychology and Souza’s works, she adds, “There is an uneasy space in Souza’s painting and people find it difficult to connect with it. That set me thinking about Jungian psychology that speaks about shadows. If you are triggered by a certain image the stronger the trigger is that you have a strong dark colossal shadow inside your own psyche that you have not come to terms with.”
Janeita further states that Souza’s female nudes and heads became an entry point for her. She describes his nudes as not some erotic or docile image of a woman but someone who has agency over her body. “He made female nude strong and formidable. These women are so collected, grounded. They have autonomy and agency over their body”, elaborates Janeita.
She in her writings also speaks of influence of East-West philosophy as according to her Souza’s art is inspired from Khajuraho temples, Mohenjo-Daro, European modernism and primitive art. Thus, in this book there is also a comparative study done on the same.
When asked on how she looks at the argument of whether Souza was also objectifying the female body, she mentioned that the female artists of the 1970s and 80s like María Evelia Marmolejo, Carolee Schneemann, were using their body for their art. “Souza was doing something similar 40 years before feminism overtook New York by a storm. The images were from his unconscious, the denied feminine principle. He painted himself nude, in 1949. (The work was removed from the Bombay Art Society on grounds of obscenity). But, he perceived it so natural.”
Souza, along with nudes was also known for his distorted imagery, especially the series of heads that he drew. Janeita explains that this was the outcome of his unconscious mind that responded to the socio-political situation right from the 1940s to the end of the millennium. “Souza was tapping into collective unconsciousness and that’s where he got his images and then with his conscious mind he gave them shape and form.”
Janeita while speaking about her writing process mentions, that it was an outcome of her conscious- unconscious process. She informs that she used to write two or three essays in a year. And during 2020, there were 21 essays on her desk. She then shared these essays with others like Debashish Banerjee, who is Sri Aurobindo scholar (he has also written the Foreword of the book), Conor Macklin, Souza’s family members, and thus the journey of her book began.
For her research, she spent around six years scouting museums, libraries and art galleries of various countries of Europe. She even visited art collector houses. “When I visited these art collectors, they would go up to the loft and bring down a suitcase, unwrap and show me the works as they could not hang Souza’s works in their living room”, states Janeita.
Janeita suggests that we need more such critical writing about art and artists in India. She also laments that there is no sufficient infrastructure in India in terms of galleries, museums, etc. where one can study and analyse art.