Diptych Icon with Images of Christ, Saint Mary and Saint George

Artist

Gebre Merha Yohannes (Ethiopian, b. 1975)

Date

1997

Medium

Pigment on wawa wood

Dimensions

Work : 6 x 4 1/2 x 3/4 in. (15.24 x 11.43 x 1.91 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Neal and Elizabeth Sobania

Object Number

2018.25.17

Label

Most Ethiopian icon paintings follow a common set of aesthetic conventions, but there is also room for artists to demonstrate individual styles. This stylistic diversity is fully intentional as artists are encouraged to start developing their own artistic hands early in their training. Young artists are typically first taught to draw and paint by copying the work of an established master. This allows for core stylistic features to be passed down from generation to generation while still granting young artists the freedom to express their own creativity within certain parameters. The individual styles of different artists can be seen in their line drawing techniques, in their color palettes, and in details such as the shading of faces and how they paint the drapes and folds of clothing. Gebre Merha Yohannes is the grandson of Haleqa Yohannes Teklu (1882-1979), a well-known and highly respected priest-painter whose works can be found in numerous churches throughout northern Ethiopia. [Nina Kay ‘19]