▁African ▁art , ▁Man c oba ▁purs ued ▁painting ▁abstra ction . ▁ ▁Man c oba ▁cons ci ously ▁abandoned ▁the ▁religious ▁art istic ▁tradition ▁he ▁had ▁started ▁out ▁in ▁and ▁perman ently ▁transition ed ▁from ▁sculpt ure ▁to ▁painting . ▁His ▁first ▁painting , ▁Com position ▁( 1 9 4 0 ), ▁figur atively ▁modern izes ▁a ▁Cong ol ese ▁K uba ▁mask ▁by ▁mer ging ▁color ful ▁geomet rical ▁shapes ▁and ▁sections ▁that ▁re est ab lish ▁the ▁human ▁form ▁in ▁a ▁prof ound ▁new ▁configuration ▁created ▁by ▁appropri ating ▁fig ural ▁and ▁design ▁aspects ▁from ▁the ▁African ▁canon . ▁▁ ▁His ▁increasing ▁interest ▁in ▁abstra ction ▁has ▁been ▁interpreted ▁by ▁Elizabeth ▁Mort on ▁as ▁a ▁conscious ▁attempt ▁to ▁neg ate ▁the ▁pat ernal istic ▁approach ▁to ▁art ▁he ▁had ▁learned ▁as ▁an ▁Ang lic an ▁student . ▁ ▁As ▁Mort on ▁notes , ▁Man c oba ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁few ▁mission - tra ined ▁African ▁artists ▁" to ▁have ▁cons ci ously ▁elimin ated ▁all ▁traces ▁of ▁his ▁mission ▁style ▁from ▁his ▁work ." ▁While ▁in ▁Paris ▁he ▁met ▁fellow ▁student ▁Son ja ▁Fer lov . ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 0 , ▁shortly ▁after ▁Germany ▁occupied ▁France ▁during ▁W W II , ▁Man c oba ▁stayed ▁in ▁Paris ▁along ▁with ▁Son ja ▁Fer lov ▁during ▁Germany ' s ▁western ▁front . ▁Despite ▁being ▁under ▁cur f ew ▁and ▁German ▁control , ▁they ▁later ▁married ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 2 . ▁▁▁ ▁T aken ▁as ▁a ▁British ▁subject