KCC honours the birth centenary of the legendary artist Francis Newton Souza with a unique workshop inspired by his novel and unconventional yet inexpensive technique of chemical alterations on magazine papers, led by experts at the KCC Conservation Lab.  

In the later phase of his career, Souza developed a technique of chemically altering images late in his career, which he called chemical alterations or chemical drawings. Using this technique, he would draw over glossy pages of magazines that he would bleach out using a chemical solvent without destroying the surface, in an attempt to make a connection between the magazine and his very own scribbling over it. These chemically altered works indicated a more laidback aspect of his work – a respite from the execution of a full-blown painting.  

What you’ll learn: 

Basic knowledge about chemical alteration as a close alternative to oil painting  

The unconventional yet inexpensive materials used in chemical alterations  

The significance of this technique in FN Souza’s oeuvre   

What you’ll cover: 

Participants will learn a novel medium to create art with the simplest of materials, and get an idea of a modernist painterly approach to explore creativity, inspired by FN Souza.