Aside from a few rock carvings and drawings which show scenes of humans and animals, Ethiopian paintings are almost completely church/religion related.
The Ethiopian Church dictated the type and purpose of all paintings in Ethiopia. Paintings found on icons, church murals, and in manuscripts focus on attempting to use clarity to express an idea, as opposed to giving the artist/viewer pleasure.
As if that weren’t difficult enough, they also have to deal with competition, criticism, self-doubt, and guilt related to their roles as mothers and businesswomen. Most people would see being a single mother as adding to the risk of burnout or long-term struggle. But what if adjusting your perspective and viewing your situation from a different angle is all it takes to make the difference between struggling and thriving? I am well aware of the difficulties that can arise from being a single parent raising a lovely child, running my own business, and contributing to the management of a family business. I used to buy into everyone’s projections of what it meant to be a single working mother after leaving a toxic relationship and having more on my plate than I could handle (or so I thought at the time). But everything changed for me when I began to view things from a different angle. Now that what I once perceived as a challenge is met with gratitude and ease, I am at ease in handling anything that comes my way.
Of all the angels, evangelists, martyrs, saints and other characters of the Bible, the Virgin Mary or St. Mary holds a special place in Ethiopian paintings and she is the most drawn subject.
The faith of Ethiopians upon St. Mary is expressed in various ways, for example, some illustrations portray her as a humble, girl of youth, while others portray her as mature and strong, and capable of protecting the Ethiopian people.
