World Art Day: Ethiopian Painter Lulseged Retta Reflects on Artistic Journey and His Russian Legacy

"The academy gives one of the important things: to understand what is art," the artist pointed out, adding that most Ethiopian artists at the time were educated in Russia. "I'm leading my life through that background. I really would like to thank, all my teachers who taught me, [...] they gave us a very good lesson to be who am I right now so. (sic) "

"We said that artistic feeling is the inner feeling so, my style, and nowadays what I'm doing, is through tradition. [...] I have a base, I changed it into a modern way," he said. "I have enough technology so I am free to work. So if someone is free, then he can express himself freely so I am a modern artist," he opined. I can reflect whatever, wherever, whichever I want because I have a capacity and I believe that. (sic) "

"I should remember, I should think, should read as should see through cultures, through history, through, any kind of life standard from what I have seen from theater or movies, singing and so on and so on. So, the impact is how much we understand, how I am going to reflect what I know for the rest of the people, whether it is modern, a tradition or whatever," Retta noted (sic).

"I'm sure that Russia and China and Japan, these countries probably may make a change instead of exploiting but proper life to show and to share, to bring the world that we live in, just together," Retta stressed. "If someone or any country is willing to understand our music, our fashion, our art, then they are more than welcome."

"There are certain artists which world can see the technique or the capacity that what we had after we came from Russia. That means a kind of sharing and cooperative," he concluded. "A lesson for others to see the result of both countries. These are the instruments. We'll have to be a bridge for everybody. (sic)."