The Art of Business

Yolanda De Sousa Painting Goa

With the choices available in India for four-star hotels, Goa is a particularly exciting destination. Its unique and complicated history, entwined with Portuguese colonization, its beautiful coastline, and its reputation as a hotspot for world travelers that began gaining momentum in the 60s and 70s, make it a fascinating place. Natural wonder and cultural complexities offer limitless possibilities for adventure for the tourist. The hotels, of course, are splendid. Offering all of the luxurious amenities that come with the four-star designation, there is a spirit of hospitality and service that make the guests feel welcome, and help refresh the spirit and body.

Goa’s urban life is colored by the diversity of its history and people, and there are fantastic night clubs that play one of its signature art forms, Goa trance music. There are scrumptious local dishes and a wide variety of international cuisines, and tours and sights that will keep the whole family interested. There are also many interesting art galleries, and one of Goa’s most interesting artists is Yolanda de Sousa. Born and living in Goa, and with a degree in art from the University of Bombay, Yolanda De Sousa has an impressive resume of shows, and her work has been shown locally, in New Delhi and Bombay, and internationally in London, Basun, Korea, and Moscow.

Her work is deeply rooted in Goa, in its history, culture, and traditions. Having worked as a designer for the government, she has worked full-time on her art since 1997. The paintings of Yolanda de Sousa are very distinctive. Her themes cover a large range, from portrait to abstract, yet in each other these there is the same signature style that has caught the attention of patrons, critics, and the general art viewer. Often using very bold splashes of color, she paints with a thick and heavy brush. This gives the work its emotional feel, and also a fascinating texture. When the paint dries, it cracks, and this gives her paintings the look of jigsaw puzzles being pieced together out of large bits of broken ceramic pottery. It’s a stunning effect, and gives her work a sense of speaking to the past and to the absolute present.