Skip to content Skip to footer

Engels of Darkness

Like many of his other paintings, this one, titled “Dark Angel,” features religious themes typical of Ethiopia’s historic and traditional art. We can observe that it is presented in a manner that differs from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s canonical rules and historic teachings, nonetheless. It is apparent that this painting possesses a spiritual force. A large pair of side-swept, slanted eyes with a somewhat round face conveys a sense of immense mystery. His visual language consistently centers on the eyes as the primary subject in his works. This, in the viewpoint of both Christian and secular thinking, is the manifestation of the heart’s deepest emotions and desires.

It is well known that Worku Goshu’s paintings emphasize spiritual themes. This expresses the artist’s aesthetic philosophy, which is expressed in a contemporary artistic manner that is unique from the old-fashioned traditional technique. The brown layer is portrayed as the background on the eyes in this painting, which cover the full space of the canvas. Round shapes embellished with tiny dots are combined to give the picture a sense of depth and balance, which enhances its beauty. The various artistic techniques he employed gave the painting a wonderful spiritual aura.

In this piece of art, we can observe the use of color with freely represented human figures in the painting’s composition that combines spatial structure to produce harmony. The five levels outside of the category of the picture are represented by the images we see in this artwork, which are portrayed in enigmatic and symbolic ways. This is depicted on the painting’s initial level as eight umbrellas. The figures on the corners depict the four saints, who are linked to one another in a bright, intricate arrangement using different color-layer symbols. Moreover, there are round objects with a halo or nimbi that stand in for the sacred emblem. The twelve disciples, who are primarily shown as in the New Testament, are exhibited in the second circle in a non-circular, spherical frontal structure. It seems to stand for renewal, fertility, and eternity both in antiquity and today. The third level represents the light’s reflection, the fourth level is the image of a red flower, and the fifth level is the realm of darkness. The power of attraction can be observed shifting from the wide to the narrow form when the entire picture is seen.

The saints seated on the first step, however, appear to be attempting to unite everyone and enter the dark world, in contrast to the work’s title. They can be seen closing and embracing the environment interconnected in all four directions. Worku Goshu appears to have broken the canonical rules of our art country’s traditional ecclesiastical art style in this deep and mystical subject.

 

WORKU GOSHU 2001

Like many of his other paintings, this one, titled “Dark Angel,” features religious themes typical of Ethiopia’s historic and traditional art. We can observe that it is presented in a manner that differs from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s canonical rules and historic teachings, nonetheless. It
is apparent that this painting possesses a spiritual force. A large pair of side-swept, slanted eyes with
a somewhat round face conveys a sense of immense mystery. His visual language consistently centers on the eyes as the primary subject in his works. This, in the viewpoint of both Christian and secular thinking, is the manifestation of the heart’s
deepest emotions and desires.

Date2001ArtistWorku GoshuPeriod20th centuryMediaoil on canvasDimensions90 X 80 cmGallery LocationBole cargo, Next to Tizeze Hotel and Nordic Hospital, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaShare

Leave a comment

Pixellopiaplus© 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.