Louis Khela Maqhubela was born in Durban, South Africa. His early artwork reflected the style and subject matter of the ‘Township’ artists who portrayed shanty-town street life. By 1966, however, Maqhubela’s style had changed dramatically and he began to make monochromatic pictures using mixed media. His subject matter also changed, to philosophical and religious themes. In 1966 Maqhubela travelled to England to study under Douglas Portway, a fellow South-African abstract artist. He later trained at Goldsmiths College and the Slade School of Art before setting up a studio in London.

This untitled work by Maqhubela presents etched figures, lines and shapes against a background of soft colour created with thinly-applied oil paint. The figures have a dreamy, child-like quality yet the careful composition reveals the hand of a master draughtsman.