Untitled (Blue landscape with houses)

Over a period of more than 20 years, Erich Sommer (1921-2004) passionately sought out some of the best examples of Twentieth Century British Art, which resulted in a highly personal group of paintings and sculpture, embracing the diversity and richness of this field. This collection included three works (see also lots 29 and 69) by Francis Newton Souza, an artist whom Sommer believed transcended nationalist boundaries. The majority of works from the Erich Sommer collection were sold at Christie's London in 2005, including a 60s work by Lucien Freud entitled, Red Haired Man on Chair, that currently holds the artist record for 4,152,000 GBP.
In this particular 1963 work, Francis Newton Souza demonstrates the inherent tension between nature and civilization. The artist's energetic and deliberate use of black lines vigorously sketch out a cityscape which seems to merge with the natural elements elements in the foreground.