|
 |
|
Watch video of Wosene discussing what painting means to him.
View Now 1.8 MB |
|
 | | The House of Words, Offset Lithograph, 2007 |
Latest Paintings
We have just recently posted 14 of Wosene's new paintings on the web site. Click to View New Paintings
Wosene Featured in
The New York Times:
Ethiopian painter, Wosene Kosrof, was acknowledged by the New York Times. "Is Wosene an African artist? An American artist? Modern? Postmodern? He is all of these. And however indirectly, his art is a reminder that African art may borrow elements of modern Western style, but in absolutely essential ways, Western modernist art originated in Africa. The link is forged yet again..."
Click here to read more
Wosene's Words (3 quotes):
"In my works, language goes far beyond the literal meaning. As I break apart the Amharic symbols and reshape them as colors on canvas, it's almost like I'm putting them under a microscope, to discover what stories they tell, what secrets they have. They come alive at the tip of my brush, and we speak to each other in their language of elegant and rhythmic lines, circles, and curves."
"As an artist who has worked to move traditions into contemporary art, I see myself definitely as a representative of contemporary art in Africa...I also see myself as an individual, drawing on my culture, bringing my culture to the wider world...I'm simply trying to examine and interpret my own emotional understandings, my feelings, and my spiritual journey, using the Amharic writing as a base."
"I have been working with Amharic calligraphy for many years. In my current work, I take apart the symbols and study their shapes and lines. They come to life and move within the space. They are in everything I see: Beautiful people, graceful architecture, colorful textiles. They are sensuous and erotic. They breathe in the quiet spaces of the canvas. They celebrate rituals: birth, life, and death."
|
|
