SA artist Ernest Methuen Mancoba is born

South African artist Ernest Methuen Mancoba was born in Boksburg, Transvaal. He left for Paris to further his studies in 1938. Mancoba never returned to live in South Africa again, but visited the country after 1994 for his Retrospective exhibition in Johannesburg. Although he never received formal art training, he was greatly inspired by two fellow artists namely Lippy and Irma Stern. He read as much literature as possible on European Art and also about African Art exhibited in museums abroad. From these studies it became apparent to him that African Art had a very significant and strong influence on 20th Century European art. This inspired him in his work but also motivated him to travel abroad to see the paintings for himself. He loved sculpture and completed various commission works for different churches. Mancoba's works can be described as spontaneous bursts of colour. It was immediately apparent that he wanted to express the fact that line and colour can be used without representing anything else. It was extraordinary for a South African artist to have worked in this style.  He preferred to work in watercolour as it allowed for spontaneous brushwork and only did his first oil painting in 1940.  In 1952 he stopped producing sculptures and concentrated on painting. In 1952 he moved from Paris and settled west of the capital but in 1960 moved back and bought a small shop were he also lived. In 1961 he became a French citizen.