Curatorial notes
Julio Resende made this print, Goa L’Odeur Coleur, with pastel crayons, probably sometime in the late twentieth century. Resende was Portuguese, but “Goa” in the title signals the historical fact of Portugal’s colonial presence in India. The artwork may then point to some of the social tensions resulting from the colonial era. The figure appears to be a local person and their isolation in the landscape might indicate the alienation felt by indigenous populations in the face of colonial expansion and oppression. This is reinforced by the ambiguity of the natural setting. There is no grand imperial architecture, only a feeling of disorientation and loss. Researching further into the artist’s biography, and the history of Portuguese colonialism, might help us to understand the social critique implied by this image. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.