Aesthete Cognizance

Phaswane David Mogano (1932-2000) occupies a distinctive place in South African art of the 20th century. Born in Pietersburg (now Polokwane), Northern Transvaal, he moved to Johannesburg, where, after early informal work, he began to train in fine art at the Polly Street Art Center (from 1959), under the influence of artists such as Cecil Skotnes and Sydney Khumalo. Mogano painted  exclusively  in watercolor, and his subjects centered largely on township life, genres of human figures, community, rural/ancestral life, and the everyday, especially in historically charged eras of apartheid and its social legacies.  In what follows, I analyze his visual style (line, color, composition), then turn to themes and conceptual depth, situate his narrative, and offer a balanced critique. Visual Principles and Technique Medium and Line Mogano’s exclusive use of watercolor is critical to his style. Watercolor tends toward delicacy: its transparency, its fluid edges, its capacity ...

Some homes feel like postcards brought to life, walls that hum with accents, corners that tell tales, and shelves that sparkle with memory. Step inside, and you sense it instantly: this is not a showroom but a lived-in journey, layered with stories gathered across continents. A clay pot from Morocco sits beside an English teacup; a woven basket from Cape Town cradles a stack of Parisian art books. It’s the kind of home that doesn’t try too hard to impress because it already carries something far rarer than soul. Every object seems to say,  “I’ve been somewhere, and I’ve brought a little of it back.” The Beauty of a Collected Home A transcontinental home is not designed in one sitting; it’s gathered slowly, piece by piece, over time. It’s not about matching tones or following design rules, but about collecting feelings. Maybe it’s the way the light hits a café wall in Lisbon, or the scent of sandalwood that still lingers in a hand-carved box from Jaipur. These fragments of travel an...

For years, home design chased perfection. Smooth walls, polished marble, and symmetrical layouts defined what it meant to live beautifully. But lately, the idea of “perfect” seems to have lost its shine. Around South Africa and much of the world, people are turning toward something far more human: the beauty of imperfection. Homes are becoming raw again, filled with visible texture, natural flaws, and materials that feel alive. This shift is more than a design trend; it reflects how people are thinking and feeling. It suggests a quiet rebellion against the overly curated, digital world we live in. When everything online looks filtered and flawless, the roughness of a clay pot or a wall with uneven plaster feels oddly grounding. There’s honesty in it, something that speaks to our craving for realness. A Cultural Shift Toward the Honest and the Human The rise of raw design mirrors a cultural change. Many South Africans, especially after years of lockdowns and uncertainty, began rethinkin...

Home no longer means just one thing. It’s where we rest, work, work out, and sometimes even run a business. The lines between personal and professional life have blurred, and our homes are catching up. That’s where multifunctional spaces come in, rooms that can do more than one job without feeling cluttered or confusing. These flexible spaces are becoming the heart of modern living, reflecting how people actually use their homes today. A multifunctional space is all about making a room earn its keep. Instead of a guest room that sits empty for months, you might have a cozy space that doubles as a home office, or a living area that turns into a yoga corner when the furniture moves aside. The goal isn’t to fill every inch with furniture but to think smarter about how you use what you have. Foldable desks, sliding doors, and modular furniture are part of this shift, but it’s more about lifestyle than design rules. People want homes that work for them, not the other way around. One of the ...

Coziness isn’t about the number of pillows or how fluffy your rug is. It’s about how your space makes you feel the moment you walk in. The secret? It’s not new furniture, it’s  where  you put it. The way you arrange your furniture can make your home feel like a warm hug or a waiting room. Most people set up a room by pushing every piece of furniture against the wall. It feels logical to open up the floor and make the space bigger. Wrong. What you’re actually doing is draining all the intimacy and flow from your space. A cozy room pulls you in; a cold room pushes you away. Think of your living room like a conversation. When the chairs and sofas are too far apart, the talk dies before it starts. But bring them closer suddenly, there’s warmth. You lean in. You connect. The distance between furniture isn’t just physical, it’s emotional. Try this: pull your sofa away from the wall. Yes, really. Give it just 12 inches of breathing room. Then add a small table or a plant behind it...

Phaswane David Mogano (1932–2000) stands as a thoughtful yet often understated voice within 20th-century South African art. Born in Pietersburg (now Polokwane) and trained at Johannesburg’s influential Polly Street Art Center in the late 1950s, Mogano was part of the generation that sought to document, interpret, and humanize Black life under apartheid. His contemporaries included artists like  Gerard Sekoto, Dumile Feni, and Ephraim Ngatane —figures who helped shape the visual narrative of South Africa’s townships and the emotional landscapes of its people. While Sekoto offered poignant realism infused with lyricism, Feni embraced expressionist distortion to convey spiritual and psychological struggle, and Ngatane fused jazz energy with the township street rhythm,  Mogano carved out a quieter, more observational space . His watercolors, marked by disciplined line, subdued palette, and compositional density, capture everyday township life with sensitivity rather than spectacle...