Gebre Kristos Desta ( 1932–1981) (also Gebrekristos Desta) was an Ethiopian modern artist.[1][2] He was also known as a poet and an art teacher.[3]
Early life
Desta was born in the town of Harrar, the son of a clergyman, Aleka Desta Nego. As a boy he played soccer and volleyball. Gebre Kristos also spent a lot of time copying and illustrating religious manuscripts while assisting his father as an apprentice. His early influence and introduction to art was the traditional religious art of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.[4]
He attended Haile Sellassie School, and graduated from General Wingate High School. In college Desta studied agriculture, but left school to become an artist.[5]
Career
Desta worked as an independent artist in Addis Ababa, creating paintings representing poverty-stricken people in that city. In 1957 he earned a scholarship, and studied art at Werschule fur Bildende Kunste und Gestaltung in Cologne, West Germany. After graduation he continued painting in Ethiopia, and held his first solo exhibition at the School of Fine Arts in Addis Ababa.
Desta later joined the faculty of the Addis Ababa School of Fine Arts.[3] His art was displayed in many further exhibitions, both in Ethiopoia and abroad.[6]
Reception
Desta was criticized for including European techniques in his artwork, rather than staying with traditional local methods.[5]
Check out Some Of His Works
RELATED CATEGORYMore
1378 Views Comments
REVEALED: Why Ethiopia is Building a Space Programme
And why critics think it an odd use of scarce resources THE ancient holy town of Lalibela, perched some 2,500 metres above sea-level in Ethiopia’s northern
4020 Views Comments
Zerihun Yetmgeta
Zerihun Yetmgeta (born 1941, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) Zerihun Yetmgeta is an internationally recognized Ethiopian artist. His paintings and mixed media pieces combine elements of contemporary art
2105 Views Comments
Meseret Defar Tola
Meseret Defar Tola (born 19 November 1983 in Addis Ababa) is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and
Click Here to Comment on this Article