John Koenakeefe Mohl (South African 1903-1985) HOME WARD ON SLEDGE signed a

Lot description

John Koenakeefe Mohl (South African 1903-1985) HOME WARD ON SLEDGE signed and dated 59; inscribed on the reverse: "Home Ward on Sledge, Bechuanaland Protectorate (Africa), painted by John Koenakeefe Mohl, painted in 1959" (sic) oil on board PROVENANCEAcquired directly from the artist. 62 by 70cm including artist's handmade frame Elza Miles (1997:57) states that Mohl was a leading figure to his peers; leading by example - his painted landscapes have a strong sense of the historical importance of place – not to mention that his compositions are often framed as windows on South African life and scenery. From 1946 to 1959, when he painted HOME WARD ON A SLEDGE, Mohl was commissioned by the Government and Tribal Administration of Botswana to record scenes of historical importance to the Bechuanas (Miles 1997:57). Miles (1997:58) notes how Mohl inscribed his paintings commissioned by the regent Kgosi Tshekedi Khama, ‘by a Motswana artist. J.K. Mohl’, as a gesture of acknowledging his nationality. What is interesting about this painting is that HOME WARD ON A SLEDGE is inscribed with the title as well as: ‘Bechuanaland Protectorate (Africa) By J. Koenakeefe Mohl. Painted in 1959.’. Although Mohl felt a strong kinship with Bechuanaland, going so far as to refer to his roots as a Motswana artist, he titled this painting HOME WARD…; and inscribed it with a phrase of memento, almost as if he wanted to be reminded of the landscape that he originated from but had to leave. Painted nearing the end of his commissions by Khama, it could be read that although the artist still felt a stronger patriotism to South Africa as his place of birth he still felt very strongly about the preservation of his heritage. The painting has a soft whimsical feel to it, the mountains in the distance pulls the viewer along on the journey where the oxen dominate the landscape, casting their shadows in the setting afternoon sun and dwarfing the two figures on the sledge behind them, accentuating the vastness of the Botswana landscape. CSReference:• Miles, E. 1997. Land and Lives, A story of early black artists. Published by Human & Rousseau, Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg.