Ferlov Mancoba
1938-10-12
Sender
Ernest Mancoba
Recipient
Goolam Gool
Document content
Ernest is writing his friend upon settling in Paris. He finds Paris cosmopolitan. He has enrolled at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs and is satisfied he is developing his formal language but is in search of artistic content
Transcription
(transcription by W. Sze]
[sender: Ernest Mancoba, from Hotel Select, 1 Place de la Sorbonne, Paris 5eme.]
[addressed to: Goolam Gool]
[date: 12 Oct 1938]
My dear Goolam,
I feared you must have called me all sorts of names for not writing sooner –
Up to now I have had to rush from place to place without stopping to recollect myself and think properly
On my arrival in Paris I had to do an entrance examination to de Ecole des Arts Decoratifs and happily they thought I was good enough to be admitted so that’s that. Now I have started to settle down and try and find my feet in this strange city –
In London hadn’t the time to call on James – I had only a week to do a thousand and one things – Seeing people [illegible] my line of sculpture etc etc –
Of course you know how grateful etc etc etc I am for the days I with you – My gratitude especially & Halima who had never seen me before.
My impressions of the French people are happy ones – I think I have found my spiritual home so far as form is concerned but the content I am still searching for – Their respect for humanity, formally, is excellent. I feel for the first time that I count as a human-being – Also there is not such glaring bestiality as you find in London – In London the street crowd was just one face – In Paris every man has his face.
I hope all is well in South Africa –
Yours ever [signed Ernest Mancoba]
[sender: Ernest Mancoba, from Hotel Select, 1 Place de la Sorbonne, Paris 5eme.]
[addressed to: Goolam Gool]
[date: 12 Oct 1938]
My dear Goolam,
I feared you must have called me all sorts of names for not writing sooner –
Up to now I have had to rush from place to place without stopping to recollect myself and think properly
On my arrival in Paris I had to do an entrance examination to de Ecole des Arts Decoratifs and happily they thought I was good enough to be admitted so that’s that. Now I have started to settle down and try and find my feet in this strange city –
In London hadn’t the time to call on James – I had only a week to do a thousand and one things – Seeing people [illegible] my line of sculpture etc etc –
Of course you know how grateful etc etc etc I am for the days I with you – My gratitude especially & Halima who had never seen me before.
My impressions of the French people are happy ones – I think I have found my spiritual home so far as form is concerned but the content I am still searching for – Their respect for humanity, formally, is excellent. I feel for the first time that I count as a human-being – Also there is not such glaring bestiality as you find in London – In London the street crowd was just one face – In Paris every man has his face.
I hope all is well in South Africa –
Yours ever [signed Ernest Mancoba]
