Danuska Da Gama
Panaji
As Goa remembers its son, the renowned modern Indian artist F. N. Souza on his birth centenary, his artist daughter Keren Souza Kohn and artist grandson Solomon Souza are in the state to celebrate the grand occasion.
Considered a pioneer of modern Indian art, Souza was born on April 12, 1924 in the village of Saligao. Today, a cake will be cut and stories will be shared at the Saligao Institute to celebrate the centenary event.
Stating that it was sad that the state government or those working in the field of art were not celebrating the event, Solomon Souza said, “It’s okay…We are doing it. There is still time ahead if they want to make an event happen which can be a step towards celebrating him.”
“This is my third trip to Goa and from the time I first visited the place, I felt that I belonged to this place. I could see Goa through my father’s artworks. It was as if I was walking through his paintings. I find so many similarities and I am able to identify structures, colours, windows of Goa,” Kohn said speaking to The Navhind Times.
She recalled how her father sat on his haunches and painted and she watched him paint while listening to Beethoven or Mozart. “He could whistle the whole tune and he was always hilarious,” Kohn said.
With artistic genes inherited from Souza, the mother-son duo believes their art itself is their way of paying tribute to the legendary artist. The family creates own pieces of art done by Souza and does also stumble upon newer pieces that are out in the market. “He had God-given talent and was inventive throughout his career. His work doesn’t stop to amaze me,” Kohn said.
Souza’s works find a mention in the curriculum of JJ School of Art, Mumbai, from where he was expelled years ago. Solomon, who was in Goa in 2019, spent a great amount of time painting walls with iconic figures of Goa. “It’s tough to sometimes find a visual voice and thus for me, as an artist it was just about following and doing what I wanted,” he said.
Soloman paints, creates murals and also loves working on sculptures. Having named his children after his grandfather, Solomon said it is his tribute to the legendary painter.
The family creates their own paintings of Souza’s work and has no plans of selling them. However, they plan to organise a generational show of the family art, showcasing works of Souza, Keren and Solomon.
As Kohn and Solomon spend time in Goa, a question that remains unanswered is about the house where Souza spent his early years.
“On my first trip to Goa with my sister Francesca, we tried to look out for his house and were shown a small dilapidated hut-like structure. While some people pacified us that it was not the artist’s house, we still haven’t been able to ascertain it,” Kohn said.
She, along with Solomon, said that when they find the house, they would like to put up a plaque that will read ‘F. N. Souza lived here.’