Why Icons?
Anyone who uses a computer knows that an “icon” is something that takes you where you want to go. In the Orthodox Christianity of the East (Greece, Russia, etc.), artists created icons of religious images very early as a way to connect people to the divine. Icons of Jesus or of Mary with Jesus sitting on her lap became a way for ordinary people to experience God’s love in an immediate and compelling way. Icons are not revered for their own sake, but are seen as “windows” to the divine. Icons from the West came to Ethiopia in the 15th century, and developed in a uniquely African way.
Why Ethiopian Icons?
I first fell in love with Ethiopian icons on a visit to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore in 2003. The bright colors, the rich patterns, and the unfamiliar imagery drew me in. The eyes in the icons are particularly engaging. I immediately bought a book about the collection and drew my first icon sketch of a Gorgon (like this one with snakes wrapped around its head).
My passion for Ethiopian icons only grew when I traveled to Ethiopia and saw the worship spaces with all their walls (and ceilings!) covered with this rich imagery. At Lalibela, this icon of Mary with Jesus (a Theotokos—”bearer of God”) captured my imagination.
Ethiopian Icon of Mary Lalibela
Photo of an icon displayed in a Lalibela church.
Ethiopia also has a tradition of healing icons. The person in need of healing has a vellum strip measured to their height, which is then filled with images designed for healing and prayers (written in Amharic or Ge’ez, the liturgical language). Often a face, representing either the person who needs healing or the “demon” who is making them ill, is put at the center of the icon, and surrounded with a cross shape for protection from evil or to contain the evil. In the scroll shown, angelic figures at the corners provide the protection.
Gorgon1
Marker ink on paper, 6x7, 2014
Ethiopian Healing Scroll
A traditional Ethiopian healing icon, artist’s collection.
Who is Abune Gabre Menfes Kaddish?
Of the Ethiopian saints, my favorite is Abune Gabre Menfes Kaddish, who is renowned for his holiness. Much like Saint Francis, he is often shown with lions and leopards, because his spirit tames the wild animals. Abune reminds me of the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the “peaceable Kingdom” where the lion lies down with the lamb.
Abune Gabre Menfes Kiddish
A traditional Ethiopian icon.
Samuel of Waldebba
Artist’s icon sketch
Who is Samuel of Waldebba?
Another favorite icon is Samuel of Waldebba, a saint from the 14th century in Ethiopia who was known for his great spirituality and founded a monastery. While he is often shown with a very tame (and dopey) lion, I love the image of him riding a wild lion. This icon captures the unexpected and challenging nature of active spiritual living.