Wosene Kosrof
Abstract Painting by Wosene Kosrof, 'For the People'
2023

About the Item

'For the People' by Ethiopian/American artist Wosene Worke Kosrof, 2023. Acrylic on linen, 60 x 60 in. Wosene is best known for his ingenious renderings of the Amharic script, illustrated in this colorful painting. This colorful abstract painting features primary colors in red, yellow, blue, green, orange, , white, and black. It's overall composition is achieved intuitively combining symbols, letter forms, and shapes in a process for which the artist is internationally recognized. Wosene Worke Kosrof was born in 1950, in the Arat Kilo district of Addis Ababa. A studio painter for more than 30 years, Wosene (his professional name) was academically trained in Ethiopia and the United States and was among the first African contemporary artists to gain critical international attention. He is best known for ingenious renderings of the Amharic script, one of the world’s oldest languages, and is the first Ethiopian-born contemporary artist to incorporate these symbols as a root element in fine art paintings. The artist’s inspirations are varied, drawing upon African traditions, personal experience, American jazz, and Western art practices. Wosene’s canvases are multilayered with paint and imagery, but he is best known for his ingenious use of the Amharic script. The artist elongates, distorts and assembles letters into forms of universal appeal beyond their linguistic meaning. There is rich dialoguing between the simplified letter forms and symbols that are intensely worked creating color-drenched textured surfaces of visual power. American jazz improvisations are evident in the active, syncopation of the surface of many Wosene paintings. Fractured images of jazz instruments, musical notes, and strings can be found amongst household objects and figures as well as layers of paint, bringing to mind the overall whimsical and joyful compositions of jazz. Kosrof’s eternal, energetic artistic expression crosses cultures and international boundaries. Kosrof’s works are in numerous museum collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (DC); Library of Congress; Newark Museum (NJ); The Neuberger Museum of Art (NY); Indianapolis Museum of Art (IN); Birmingham Museum of Art (AL); Samuel P. Harn Museum (FL); the National Museum, Addis Ababa; Volkerunde Museum, Zurich, Switzerland; and in many private and corporate collections. He exhibits widely in international galleries.

Creator:
Wosene Kosrof (1950, Ethiopian)
Creation Year:
2023
Dimensions:
Height: 60 in (152.4 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)
Medium:
Linen,Oil
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
White Plains, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU373311891742
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