bitter erotic and difficult modern indian master fn souza is being celebrated in the first retrospective after his death renaissance painters painted men and women making them look like angels i paint for angels to show them what men and women really look like fn souza with a few slashing lines and a raw expressive energy francis newton souza stripped away all subterfuge be it the sluts or the suits the seamy side of life or the steamy the gnomish poxscarred boy from goa who went on to become one of the first indian artists to be feted in the salons of europe laid it bare in the country of his birth though he received little recognition till his death in 2002 set off a spiral in auction prices in 2008 the spectacular birth 1955 set a world auction record for the most expensive indian painting by selling for 25 million rs 113 crore at a christies auction the buyer was reportedly none other than the harmony arts foundation run by tina ambani whose home and offices are hung with several other souzas but during his 78yearlong lifetime souzas exhibitions in india went halfsold or worse uday jain director of the dhoomimal gallery which is showcasing its own collection of souza works in a retrospective that opened in the capital on friday recalls how after his 1976 show the artist was devastated when he learnt that only one of his canvases had sold his landscapes did sell but his erotically charged nudes found few takers among indian collectors recalls udays mother uma jain these were not pieces they were comfortable hanging in their drawing room the jains shared a long personal relationship with souza and over the years have built an impressive collection of over 400 of his works had he been alive today the artist who died nearbankrupt would probably have cackled loudly at the way his works are smashing price barriers recognition or not souza was prolific his little new york apartment stuffed with paintings ebrahim alkazi one of his biggest collectors and admirers believes that he did over 12000 sketches female nudes were an enduring obsession with his early sexual stirrings triggered by watching his mother bathe through a peephole by his own confession i used to watch her bathe herself through a hole i had bored in the door i drew her on the walls and prudes thought i was rude i cant see why because as far as i can recollect i had even painted murals on the walls of her womb definitely no stranger to the contours of the female body he painted the prostitutes of london and his own varied assortment of lovers the nudes were almost like his little black book of dalliances says uday jain you could tell who he was with contemporary artist anjolie ela menon remembers asking souza why he painted women with such large breasts he replied if you knew the women youd realise that this is