Pictured Above: Prayer Warrior, painted
by Yisehak F-Sellassie
Moving from the classic
to the contemporary, we encounter this beautiful piece by Yisehak F-Sellassie.
Born in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia in 1964, F-Sellassie has committed his artistic
talents to spiritual depictions centered around the Christian bible. The
grandson of Princess Welete Israel Seyhoum, F-Sellassie was uprooted from
Ethiopia in 1974 during the revolution. After studying in the United States
at the Rhode Island School of Design and in Italy at the Taylor School
of art, F-Sellassie exhibited his work across the world, seeking to convey
a message of spirituality in his paintings.
His works are added to the
gallery as examples of modern-day spiritual art, art that portrays biblical
messages and themes in the abstract. This particular painting, inspired
by 2Corinthians 10:45, depicts a young Ethiopian man clothed in traditional
warrior garb. Eyes closed as he engages in deep contemplative prayer, the
young warrior is a metaphor for the spiritual battle in which prayer is
a weapon, a battle in which both the old and new come together when the
spiritual meets the physical. F-Sellasie's mixture of traditional garb
and a contemplative young face serves to connect the past with the present,
and in so doing seeks to depict the power of prayer and spirituality.
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