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Ethiopian painters inherited a legacy of Late Antique Christian painting, and through their own genius began to develop a number of distinctive styles. The most dramatic contrast may be that between the icons painted by Fere Seyon and his followers during the reign of Zara Yaqob and the manuscripts of the Estifanosite monks who opposed the imperial cult. During the Gondarine empire, Ethiopian artists incorporated elements of style and iconography from Western Europe and India, having become familiar with paintings and prints brought by the Jesuits who traveled between Europe and Goa. Visitors to Ethiopia are often surprised that no attempt is made by Ethiopian artists to distinguish the skin color of these saints. While the Arab poets clearly thought of Ethiopians as black, the Ethiopians usually saw no difference between themselves and the heroes of the Bible. The clear distinction between black and white that has proved so distressing in the modern world rarely troubled ancient Ethiopians in their relations with the neighboring Christian states, and even European travelers such as Francisco Alvares or James Bruce rarely comment on it. || THE HOLY LAND EPISODE || |
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Even before the emperor Zara Yaqob placed such a great emphasis on icons of the Virgin Mary, Ethiopian artists had produced manuscript paintings of extraordinary beauty. Until forty years ago, it was thought that most of the visual arts of the medieval empire had been destroyed when the Muslim armies of the Grań attempted to eradicate Christian culture, but remarkable discoveries continue to be made. Even so, theft to supply the art markets of the West is a constant threat in a country where poverty is so prevalent.