Self Portrait with Young Woman

By the time F. N. Souza made this rather staid Self-portrait with Young Woman, his purportedly rumbunctious London days were behind him and he was settled and ageing in New York. Though the title does not give any hint whatsoever, the female figure in the painting bears a striking resemblance to his last life partner, artist Srimati Lal—the bright red saree and chunky baubles on her neck distinctly allude to the latter’s dressing style. Devoid of the macabre and hard-edged nudity, the portrait brings focus to Souza’s mastery of his art, which is often swamped under the bellicosity of his signature representations.