Modern Albanian art

Albania, a country of southeastern Europe, has a unique culture from that of other European countries. The majority of the Albanian population is Muslim (sixty-five to seventy percent). The Ottoman Empire ruled over Albania for nearly five centuries, which greatly affected the country’s artwork and artistic forms. After Albania's joining with the Ottoman Empire in 1478, Arab influenced art forms such as mosaics and mural paintings became prevalent, and no real artistic change occurred until Albanian Liberation in 1912.

After liberation

It was not until Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire did radical artistic change occur. After Albanian liberation in 1912, Albanian art experienced a patriotic renaissance. Artwork that depicted the historical past reached its height in popularity. Likewise, the country’s continued cultural isolation from Western Europe led artists to focus more on national matters. Sculptures of national icons became popular throughout the country. In 1968, Sculptor Odhise Paskali (with help from fellow sculptors Andrea Mana and Janaq Paço) constructed a monument of Skanderbeg, Albania’s national hero, in honor of the 500th anniversary of his death, and it is placed in the center of the capital city of Tirana.

Post-World War II and communism

After World War II, a repressive communist government took rule over Albania, and the artwork that arrived during the communist era reflects the turmoil of the time. Art was censored greatly by the Albanian government and artists were urged to create works that endorsed socialism. During the 1950s and 1960s, the dominant theme of Albanian paintings was the “proletariat,” the backbone of the socialist system. Much of the country's art focused on domestic scenes such as men working in the fields and women feeding chickens. Also, landscape scenes were highly popularized by Albanian painters. Painter Vangjush Mio is most famous for his landscape paintings.

Today

Although Albania left communism for democracy in 1991, scholars currently label Albanian artwork under the category of "socialist realism", for its emphasis on portraying real people and situations. Although much of Albanian artwork is influenced by impressionism and expressionism, it is most realist in its depiction of everyday life. Contemporary Albanian artwork captures the struggle of everyday Albanians, however new artists are utilizing different artistic styles to convey this message. For example, popular artist Alush Shima uses bright primary colors to depict Albanian life. Albanian artists continue to move art forward, while their art still remains distinctively Albanian in content.

Artists

Other famous contemporary Albanian artists include:
*Genc Mulliqi [http://www.gencmulliqi.com]
*Ibrahim Kodra
*Shyqri Nimani
*Anri Sala
*Ndoc Martini
*Agim Zajmi [http://www.albanian-art.com/]
*Adrian Grezda
*Simon Rrota
*Spiro Xega
*Eshref Qahili
*Ismet Jonuzi
*Rexhep Ferri
*Omer Kaleshi
*Abedin Dino
*Burim Myftiu [http://www.albanianarts.com/aart/artists_portfolio.php?id=0000000173&ticket=aWQwMDAwMDAwMTcz]
*Ilir Butka
*Bertrand Shijaku
*Toni Milaqi

Exhibits

* 3 December 2005. Balkan Peninsula Exhibit, Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY.

External links

* Hudhri, Ferit. "Fine Arts in Albania: An Outline of Figurative Art in Albania Over the Centuries." Sustainable Economic Development Agency. 2 December 2005 [http://www.seda.org.al/ACH/finearts.htm] .
* Institute for Auslandsbeziehungen. 20 November 2005 [http://www.ifa.de/eindex.htm] .
* Alb@rt. 20 November 2005 [http://www.albacenter.it] .

Further reading

* Brewer, Bob. My Albania. New York: Lion of Tepelena P, 1992.
* Halliday, Jon. The Artful Albanian. London: Rowland, 1986.
* Pollo, Stefanaq, and Arben Puto. The history of Albania: from its origins to the present day. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981.
* Schwander-Sievers, Stephanie, and Bernd J. Fischer. Albanian Identities. London: Hurst & Company, 2002.
* Winnifrith, Tom. Perspectives on Albania. London: Macmillan, 1992.