Abebaw Ayalew

Brief survey of Ethiopian traditional painting · Called traditional because techniques are passed down without change · Continuity through the generations · Christian iconography · Visual models for early iconographic paintings came from other places · The Eusebian Canons help to establish early sources of influence from the 4^th century onwards · Eusebius, a monk and bible scholar, charts the relationship between the four gospels · Patterns and frames in the paintings illustrate the relationship to the Eusebian Canons · The colours in traditional paintings are limited to six: black, white, green, yellow, red, and blue · Colours reflect the availability of pigments and form a symbolic language · Portrait depictions have only three poses: front, two thirds, and profile · The first two poses reserved for holy or saintly persons · Paintings marked by symbolism rather than mimesis · Iconography a source of theological arguments · Paintings lack three-dimensionality · Depth and illusion not used · Byzantine iconography a heavy influence · Travellers brought images that were then copied and adapted · The flow of influence was one-way only: Ethiopian paintings were sent to Jerusalem and the Vatican but only as examples, not as models · Three distinct periods in Ethiopian iconography: 15^th, 16^th, and 18^th centuries · 16^th century: Jesuits arrive with models of icons and Ethiopian painting focuses on narratives · 17^th century: painting more decorative · 18^th century marks significant changes · Ethiopia starts trading with other countries, introducing new colours for pigments and paints · Painting no longer reserved for the clergy; nobility has itself depicted, as well, with significant changes in the visual language · Political and economic changes in Ethiopia end the traditional patronage of Ethiopian paintings · Paintings were then produced only for foreign consumption · The technological innovations of the early 20^th innovations brought significant changes to traditional painting · Today it is no longer taught in schools

Abebaw Ayalew is an art historian teaching at the Addis Ababa University Alle School of Fine Arts and Design. His research focuses on various aspects of Ethiopian art history, specifically on the history of Ethiopian painting in the 18th and 19th centuries. Recently, he has carried out extensive research on historical monuments in Addis Ababa, including one of the country’s most important, the martyrs’ monument at Yekatit 12 Square, Sidist Kilo.