Re: [Goanet] Another Twist in FN Souza's Tale (Times of India,)
Good to see Dom Martin back on goanet. Some years ago while visiting the late Prof. Jose Pereira in Yonkers, NY, our conversation turned to FN as I knew that FN would often bug the professor about religious matter As FN was an atheist and the prof was a lay theologian, both used to have a tense and, at times, heated debate. Since the professor was also an alumnius JJ College of Arts and a writer on architecture, both had a good relationship. The prof was concerned to see FN struggle in NY. Once the prof to.d FN to go and settle in India as FN paintings had no market in the US. instead of running to India to sell his paintings. In India, FN commanded good respect and his paintings fetched lakhs of rupees. On returning to NY, I called FN but he said he was busy. We spoke for a while on the phine and I asked him his views on MF Hussein, as MF was in the news as his painting of a Hindu goddess in the nude. FN was dismissive of hus ex-college in the group of seven that created a new wave of art movement in India. FN said MF has niw become a "pop artist". MF also did a painting of the Bollywood star, Madhuri. I was once loaned a booklet of FN writings by a lady friend, but I have forgotten the name of the book. FN was a class act, both as painter and as a man. He proudly announced that he was the second-best cubist painter after Picasso. Eugene Sent from my iPad > On Sep 28, 2018, at 5:13 PM, dom martin t wrote: > > The proliferation of “Blatant fakes signed with Sousa's name . . . > outnumbering originals” is somewhat damningly inconceivable without > the smug collusion or connivance of the artist. In 1997, Souza > addressed a memo to the Director of Sakshi Art Gallery, alerting and > acrimoniously denouncing the promulgation of 'Souza fakes'. Was his > son, Patrick, also included in that circular? Patrick, allegedly > ran/runs an industrial size complex in Goa producing fake Souzas. > One can claim to have successfully unrung the bell if everyone in the > vicinity is stone deaf and confidingly blind. With fake art, it's the > resonance of one's legitimate money going tragically down the drain > while the dealer boards the getaway train. Souza, despite his > outlandish histrionics, boarded the train to eternity: Penniless and > ticketless! M.F. Hussein once remarked that if an artist does not > have fakes of his art circulating around, then he is not an artist. > I guess, I am not! > Souza, on the other hand, continues to retain his stellar status. And > so it is. You can concoct your own poison and succumb from it or > become the unwary martyr from someone else's venomous sting. > Dom Martin
Re: [Goanet] Another Twist in FN Souza's Tale (Times of India,)
The proliferation of “Blatant fakes signed with Sousa's name . . . outnumbering originals” is somewhat damningly inconceivable without the smug collusion or connivance of the artist. In 1997, Souza addressed a memo to the Director of Sakshi Art Gallery, alerting and acrimoniously denouncing the promulgation of 'Souza fakes'. Was his son, Patrick, also included in that circular? Patrick, allegedly ran/runs an industrial size complex in Goa producing fake Souzas. One can claim to have successfully unrung the bell if everyone in the vicinity is stone deaf and confidingly blind. With fake art, it's the resonance of one's legitimate money going tragically down the drain while the dealer boards the getaway train. Souza, despite his outlandish histrionics, boarded the train to eternity: Penniless and ticketless! M.F. Hussein once remarked that if an artist does not have fakes of his art circulating around, then he is not an artist. I guess, I am not! Souza, on the other hand, continues to retain his stellar status. And so it is. You can concoct your own poison and succumb from it or become the unwary martyr from someone else's venomous sting. Dom Martin
Re: [Goanet] Another Twist in FN Souza's Tale (Times of India, 24/9/2018)
On Monday, September 24, 2018, 1:54:52 a.m. CDT, V M wrote: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/another-twist-in-f-n-souzas-tale/articleshow/65926381.cms Today, the rich and famous babble “Souza is my favourite artist”. But when the great modernist painter (whose ancestral roots are in Goa) died on a visit to Mumbai in 2002, his passing went virtually unacknowledged. At that time, the poet and critic Adil Jussawalla wrote with great ire about “the near-indifference to his death, the mealy-mouthed praise.” He recalled Souza’s own angry words about his childhood survival from smallpox, “Better had I died. Would have saved me a lot of trouble. I would not have had to bear an artist’s tormented soul, create art in a country that despises her artists and is ignorant of her heritage.” Jussawalla wrote, “It’s something I read with great bitterness now.” -- VM,I was always under the impression that torment brought out the best in artists. Some tormented artists are able to express their feelings in ways that most of us cannot. Secondly, reading your article reminded me of a class in college where we touched on the age old problem of sponsoring philosophers. Some Kings wondered whether the value came from a philosopher who had to struggle for his living or from the sponsored philosopher who could concentrate on his profession and not have to be bothered about petty things like the rent and running a household. Mervyn
