Zechariah

The tension between Francis Newton Souza's adherence to the Catholic upbringing of his youth in Goa and his criticism of the religion surfaces repeatedly in his work from the 1950s and 60s. In this reference to the prophet Zechariah, Souza provides his own painterly exegesis on the figure depicting him in a style which wavers precariously between abstraction and naturalism. Known for his series of eight visions, Zechariah's biblical significance stems from his role as a historian and spiritual seer providing consolation and hope to Israel's returning exiles, a story that resonated strongly with India's history of partition. Ironically, Souza chooses to depict this man of vision and communication without the attributes of a face, preserving only the superficial feature of his ecclesiastic robes.