Books & Archaeology
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Books & Archaeology
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The Art of Ethiopia. From the Origins to the Golden Age.
MERCIER Jacques.

The Art of Ethiopia. From the Origins to the Golden Age.

Editions Place des Victoires.
€49,00 €0,00
N° d'inventaire 25218
Format 27 x 32 cm
Détails 334 p., numerous color illustrations, publisher's hardcover.
Publication Paris, 2021
Etat Nine
ISBN 9782809919066
Extraordinarily modern geometric painting and infinitely varied crosses constitute an originality of Ethiopian art. Originality that it possessed from its beginnings in the 4th century – already then a precursor of Luminism well before Eastern developments – and that it retained even after the end of its Golden Age (15th century) – marked by the colorism of illuminators and the graphics of icon painters, all curious about the outside world, in particular Italian and Cretan art. A formidable wealth of motifs and techniques that makes Ethiopia the most creative actor of Christian art in Africa. This exceptional work highlights this unjustly little-known art. The relative isolation of Ethiopia allowed its artists to explore avenues nourished by theological and esoteric speculations, which delight lovers of novelty. It reveals itself in these pages, without revealing all its secrets. The author's investigations over half a century in more than 350 churches and the inclusion of collections outside Ethiopia provide illustrations of striking beauty, most of them unpublished. Combined with new analyses, including those of illustrated manuscripts, perhaps the oldest in Christianity, they provide a unique insight into this art, teeming with masterpieces.
Extraordinarily modern geometric painting and infinitely varied crosses constitute an originality of Ethiopian art. Originality that it possessed from its beginnings in the 4th century – already then a precursor of Luminism well before Eastern developments – and that it retained even after the end of its Golden Age (15th century) – marked by the colorism of illuminators and the graphics of icon painters, all curious about the outside world, in particular Italian and Cretan art. A formidable wealth of motifs and techniques that makes Ethiopia the most creative actor of Christian art in Africa. This exceptional work highlights this unjustly little-known art. The relative isolation of Ethiopia allowed its artists to explore avenues nourished by theological and esoteric speculations, which delight lovers of novelty. It reveals itself in these pages, without revealing all its secrets. The author's investigations over half a century in more than 350 churches and the inclusion of collections outside Ethiopia provide illustrations of striking beauty, most of them unpublished. Combined with new analyses, including those of illustrated manuscripts, perhaps the oldest in Christianity, they provide a unique insight into this art, teeming with masterpieces.