The Cross, the Church, and the Butterfly

In this brightly colored band of parchment, Boghossian draws inspiration from personal healing scrolls created by däbtäras, religious scholars with the highest level of church education. Following that format, this dynamic work is organized into distinct fields of stylized and abstract patterns referencing churches, butterflies, and the cross, in order to compose a vibrant, spiritually endowed visual display. These connections to Ethiopian liturgical art are reinforced by the red, orange, green, and blue color scheme, reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts created in the monasteries of Ethiopia’s Highlands. By incorporating these religious references, Boghossian has infused a modern work with a devotional quality that emanates from the various layers of parchment, Japanese paper, stitches, pen, ink, pastel, and acrylic.

Of Ethiopian and Armenian parentage, Boghossian drew inspiration from illuminated church manuscripts, wall paintings, and healing scrolls to underscore Africa’s history as the cradle of civilization. Raised in Addis Ababa, he received a scholarship to study art in London in 1955. Two years later he relocated to Paris, where he engaged with painters, jazz musicians, and writers of the Négritude movement. Following his return to Ethiopia in 1966, he taught at its School of Fine Arts for three years. Boghossian subsequently settled in Washington, D.C., where he became involved with the Black Arts movement and served as a faculty member of Howard University’s Department of Art.