Julian MOTAU (1948 – 1968)
Emaciated Miner
1967
charcoal on paper
100 x 75 cm
This visceral charcoal drawing by Julian Motau depicts a near-naked man. Rendered with nervy lines of black charcoal, his body appears to have been reduced to sinew and bone by hard labour on the mines. He holds one hand to his head in… Continue Reading
BIOGRAPHY
Julian Motau grew up in a rural homestead in Tzaneen in Limpopo Province. He was almost entirely self-taught. In 1963, he migrated to Johannesburg where his rare talent was quickly recognised by artist Judith Mason, who provided him with studio space and mentorship.
In 1967, at 19 years old, he had his first solo exhibition at the Goodman Gallery and in that same year won the New Signatures exhibition in Pretoria.
In a tragic twist of fate, Motau was murdered in the Alexandra township just a year later.
Strongly influenced by the uncompromising expressionism of Dumile Feni, Motau’s artwork is remarkable for its intensity of expression and the anger which comes through in its choice of subject matter. Motau has been hailed as marking a new politicisation of township art, but while there is some truth to this, the work remains too unruly and too unformed to constitute much more than an interesting beginning, tragically curtailed.