This painting by The Most Honourable World Laureate Maître Artiste Afewerk Tekle (b. 1932) hangs in the National Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The painting’s title, “Demera,” comes from the bonfire depicted near the center of the image. A bonfire, called the Demera, is one of the central events in the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Maskal, which commemorates the Finding of the True Cross.
The painting is dated 1974. It measures 100×125 cm.
What I find interesting about the piece, apart from its intrinsic value as a historical document, is it was painted the year Emperor Haile Selassie I was deposed by a communist junta. Emperor Haile Selassie I was forced to abdicate on September 12, 1974, two weeks before the festival of Maskal.
I can’t help thinking this piece reflects the artist’s sentiments in favor of the Old Regime and against the coup.
This painting by The Most Honourable World Laureate Maître Artiste Afewerk Tekle (b. 1932) hangs in the National Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The painting’s title, “Demera,” comes from the bonfire depicted near the center of the image. A bonfire, called the Demera, is one of the central events in the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Maskal, which commemorates the Finding of the True Cross.
The painting is dated 1974. It measures 100×125 cm.
What I find interesting about the piece, apart from its intrinsic value as a historical document, is it was painted the year Emperor Haile Selassie I was deposed by a communist junta. Emperor Haile Selassie I was forced to abdicate on September 12, 1974, two weeks before the festival of Maskal.
I can’t help thinking this piece reflects the artist’s sentiments in favor of the Old Regime and against the coup.
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