The artist, working in what is known as the Early Gondarene style, situates these figures in a world of Ethiopian references: Mary spinning thread seated on a three-legged stool, genna (Ethiopian field hockey), the style of the three yellow crowns, the lidded food basket on Salome’s head, and the depiction of the Temple in Jerusalem as a miniature Ethiopian church. This masterful 17th-century diptych icon is a highly charged devotional work, depicting multiple moments in the life of Jesus and the Holy Family. 331–340 C.E.) nevertheless predates even Rome (380 C.E.) as a state religion. Historically home to followers of all three major monotheistic religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-Ethiopia’s Coptic Church (c. The message seems clear: “we remain unbowed.”Ĭhristianity is deep into its second millennium as an African religion. Paintings of the Battle of Adwa remain popular diplomatic gifts that the Ethiopian government has presented to visiting dignitaries and foreign diplomats stationed in the country. George’s Day, the popular saint is depicted astride a horse and ready for battle as he descends from the sky. Because the Battle of Adwa fell on March 1, St. Consistent with artistic conventions governing Ethiopian religious painting, Belachew depicts the righteous Ethiopians as full-faced figures, while the forces of evil (the Italians, in this case) are shown largely in profile. Solomon Belachew-an artist renowned for depicting religious scenes-captured the ferocity of battle in the painting above/below through his use of opposing diagonal lines, suggesting action between the two opposing sides, and his depiction of blood-spattered and decapitated Italian soldiers. Adwa became a symbol of resistance to colonial oppression across Africa and its diaspora. In so doing, they prevented the imposition of colonial rule. An African army wins its most resounding and lasting victory against colonialism.Īs morning rose to noon that day, Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II defeated an invading Italian army at the Battle of Adwa.
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