17 Apr 2024  |   04:04am IST

Finding F N Souza in children’s art

A total of 28 children from six schools and 27 college students from Goa College of Art and Goa College of Architecture were guided by artist Viraj Naik to immerse themselves in the processes, techniques and subjects in F N Souza’s oeuvre. Their works are currently displayed at the exhibition, ‘In/Of Goa: Souza at 100’ at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Panjim

Dolcy D’Cruz

Picasso said, ‘It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.’ Francisco Victor Newton de Souza better known as F N Souza in the world of art was recently introduced to young children as well as to college students through his works. As this year marks the centenary of FN Souza, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, in partnership with Grosvenor Gallery, London; SaffronArt, Mumbai; and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi is presenting a series of Souza’s drawings and paintings.

At the exhibition, ‘In/Of Goa: Souza at 100’, the works from the workshop series ‘After FN Souza’, coordinated by artist Viraj Naik. Through the series, Students and teachers of Bhatikar Model High School, Margao; Lokvishwas Pratishthan Special School, Ponda; Navy Children School, Dabolim; Sanjay Centre for Special Education, Porvorim; Sharada Mandir School, Goalim Moula, Tiswadi; Sharada Mandir School, Miramar; AJ De Almeida High School, Ponda; GS Amonkar Vidya Mandir, Mapusa; Goa College of Architecture, Altinho; Goa College of Art, Altinho,were brought closer to the Goan artist and the legendary works of F N Souza

Almost a month prior to April 12, the birth centenary of F N Souza, contemporary artist, Viraj Naik was informed about an art series for children. “I had to work quickly and within a day I shortlisted some schools. Since this was not a competition, I didn’t want too much of things happening around the artwork. Most of the schools have art teachers from Goa College of Art, Altinho, who were my college batch mates or my junior. However, the school children were not aware of FN Souza. The teachers had to familiarize them with his artworks and I presented the images that they could see and get inspired by. They were free to draw their own works on the same lines,” says Viraj, who provided the students with FN Souza’s landscapes, still life 

and portraits. 

School art teachers and Goa College of Art teachers include Shwetaa H Harmalkar, Ajay Kothawale, Shweta Uday Chari, Sachin Naik, Ranjeeta S Narvekar, Leticia Alvares, Rajesh Chodankar, Hardha Jawahar Mandurkar, Pranali Naik Gaunekar, Bindiya Sarang Naik, Michelle Faria, Omkar Banaule, Kedar Dhondu, Rajan Mardolkar, Sagar Gaude, Loretti Joyce Pinto, Gopal Kudaskar and Willy Goes, Principal of Goa College of Art. 

“The children could find the works of F N Souza very familiar and were comfortable in creating their own art. The children from the special schools were interacting with their teachers only as they had the image for reference besides them and they were free to choose the colours they wanted and were very expressive and powerful. I had assigned ten days for their work but they completed it within an hour only!,” exclaims Viraj.

Keren Souza Kohn, FN Souza’s daughter and her son, Solomon Souza, FN Souza’s grandson also visited Sunaparanta’s art gallery to view the exhibition. Unfortunately, Viraj Naik was not in the premises. “I was informed that they were very impressed by the works of the children. F N Souza is a very important artist not just in Goa but also for India. The work he has done especially still life and landscapes besides figurative heads, has to reach children,” says Viraj.

Besides the participating students and teachers, the artists includes Padmashri awardee K Laxma Goud, Viraj Naik, Neetu Naik, Manish Naik, Bhisaji Gadekar, Satyam Acharya, Siddhesh Chari, Priyanka Mishra, Pradeep Naik, Shilpa Naik Mayekar, Sarah Kammermeier, Mohit Naik, Mohan Naik, Kaushalya Gadekar, Ramdas Gadekar, Manasi Mhamal, Kalidas Mhamal, Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal, Abhyuday Rodrigues Sabharwal, Manish Naik, Bhisaji Gadekar, Satyam Acharya, Komakula Rajashekara, Madhumita Das, K Pranav Goud, J Srinu, Vilas Karthik, Jisniti Chowdhary, Sumanto Chowdhary, Ryan Abreu, Swapnesh Vaigankar, Walter D’Souza, A Gana Teja Sharma, Vijay K, Vijay Bhandare, Shripad Gurav, Julio D’Souza, Vitesh Naik, Pandurang Naik, Anagha Deshpande, Shailesh Dabholkar, Rajesh Salgaonkar, Maria Vanessa J D De Sa and Amrish Parsekar.

Interestingly, a lecture by Conor Macklin, Director, Grosvenor Gallery on ‘Souza: A brief intro into a Revolutionary!’ will be held on April 25 at 6.30 pm at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for Art, 

Altinho, Panjim.