411 - Francis Newton Souza (Indian, 1924-2002) Untitled (Male and Female Nudes with a Peacock) signed and dated '95' l.r., pen and ink on paper (image 27.5 x 37cm) Provenance: Acquired by the present owner's father from Dhoomimal Gallery and accompanied by a signed certificate from the gallery; thence by descent; a private collection, Surrey. Footnote: Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002) was one of the founding members of the Progressive Artists' Group established in Mumbai in 1947, which sought to establish a new language for modern Indian art through the syncretic synthesis of Indian artistic traditions and European modernism. Born in Goa, Souza moved to London in 1949, where the difficult early years of his career were followed by his breakthrough solo exhibition at Gallery One in 1955. Souza developed a distinctive, highly expressive visual language characterised by emphatic black outlines, distorted forms and vigorous, often heavily worked surfaces. His recurring subjects included portraits, female nudes, landscapes, still-lives and Christian imagery, reflecting both his Goan Catholic upbringing and his engagement with European modernism. His London production of the 1950s and 1960s, particularly his figurative portraits and 'black paintings', are among the defining works of his career.