Albanian art (Albanian:arti shqiptar[aɾˈtiʃcipˈtaɾ]) refers to allartistic expressions andartworks inAlbania or produced byAlbanians. The country's art is either work of arts produced by itspeople and influenced by itsculture andtraditions. It has preserved its original elements and traditions despite its long and eventfulhistory around the time when Albania was populated toIllyrians andAncient Greeks and subsequently conquered byRomans,Byzantines,Venetians andOttomans.
At different times,Illyrian,Ancient Greek andRoman art developed in Albania and survived in a number of media inclusive ofarchitecture,sculpture,pottery, andmosaic. Therock inscriptions inGrama Bay andmosaic inDurrës can be traced back to the 4th century BC and there are nonetheless ancient remains of extraordinary quality available atApollonia,Byllis,Shkodër,Butrint andelsewhere across the country.
The centerpiece of medieval Albanian art started with the successor of theRoman Empire, namely theByzantine Empire that ruled the great majority of Albania and theBalkan Peninsula.[1] It comprised gradually offrescoes,murals, andicons painted with an admirable use of color andgold.Onufri,David Selenica,Kostandin Shpataraku and theZografi Brothers are the most eminent representatives of medieval Albanian art. TheEpitaph of Gllavenica, anepitaph written on ashroud, is one of the best artifacts of this genre in theBalkans.
During theOttoman invasion of Albania, manyAlbanians migrated out of the area to escape either various socio-political and economic difficulties. Among them, the medievalpaintersMarco Basaiti andViktor Karpaçi,sculptor andarchitectAndrea Nikollë Aleksi andart collectorAlessandro Albani.[2][3] Those who resided in theVenetian Empire established theScuola degli Albanesi that served as a cultural and social center for Albanians.[4]
TheAlbanian Renaissance, in the field of arts, developed for the first time since theMiddle Ages in rather different directions especially toward theoccident and was initially dominated by the central figure ofKolë Idromeno. Painters were searching for meaning, traditions and identity, leading initially torealism and later withimpressionism.
Within the boundaries of the present Albanian state, there have been severalprehistoric Mediterranean cultures that left a number of pictorial records located in the Kryegjata Valley,Goranxi,Maliq,Konispol Cave,Blaz Cave,Gajtan Cave,Treni Cave and numerous other sites throughout Albania.[5][6][7]
During theBronze Age, a number ofIllyrian andAncient Greek tribes started to emerge itself on the territory of Albania and established several artistic centers at the same time.Terracotta was widely used by both cultures most notably for reliefs and other architectural purposes. Quite a number of terracotta figures, among others from the Illyrians, were found nearBelsh but besides that as well throughout Albania.[8][9][10]
The art ofpottery flourished also during that period and is considered amongst the most distinctive art produced from antiquity.[11] Various symbols, rituals, language and folklore were embodied in pottery art. Devollian pottery, named after theDevoll Valley, was made by the Illyrians.[12] Pottery of Illyrians consisted initially of geometric patterns like circles, squares, diamonds and other similar motifs and was nonetheless later influenced byAncient Greek pottery.[13][14]
From earliest timesmosaics have been used to cover floors in principal rooms of buildings, palaces, and tombs, as well as in the formal rooms of private houses. The use of mosaic became widespread inIllyria andAncient Greek colonies within the Illyrian coast on theAdriatic and theIonian Sea. The earliest examples of mosaic flooring date to the ancient period are housed inApollonia,Butrint,Tirana,Lin, andDurrës.[15] TheBeauty of Durrës, the earliest mosaic discovered in Albania, is apolychromaticmosaic mainly made of multicoloredpebbles.[16] It has a marvelous grace of its figure and great excellence of artistic creativity.
TheRoman period is marked by the production ofsculptures presented assymbolic art.Roman sculpture was largely influenced by the sculptures ofGreece and theEtruscan civilization whereas impressive examples can be mostly found in the cities ofApollonia andButrint, which flourished during that period.
When theRoman Empire was divided in the fourth century, most ofIllyria remained in theEastern Roman Empire that was conventionally known as theByzantine Empire. TheByzantine art, the art of the Eastern Roman Empire from about the 5th century until the fall ofConstantinople in 1453, was predominantly marked by religious expressions and a renewed interest in techniques of theRoman Empire mixed with the themes ofChristianity.
Icons andfrescoes emerged as a significant art form with an extensive church building in Albania.[citation needed] They coveredsacred building interior walls, floors and domes increased and expanded in size and importance. The use ofgold and brightcolors was important indeed each color had its own value and meaning. In addition, colors were never mixed together but were always used pure.
The earliest icons of Albania date from the thirteenth century and generally estimated that their artistic peak reached in the eighteenth century.[1] No paintings before the thirteenth century, produced by Albanians, have been located to date.[1] Nonetheless few older structures in the country house different collections of paintings dating to the Byzantine period.
Manuscripts were another significant feature of Albanian medieval art. The handwrittenCodex Beratinus andCodex Beratinus II are two ancientGospels fromBerat, dating from the sixth and ninth centuries. They represent one of the most valuable treasures of the Albanian cultural heritage that was inscribed on theUNESCO'sMemory of the World Register in 2005.
By the fifteenth century after theFall of Constantinople and the invasion ofSoutheastern Europe by theOttoman Empire, art produced byEastern Orthodox Christians living in theBalkans was often namedPost-Byzantine art. In that period many valuable monuments and artifacts were made by Albanian painters. Innovation in iconography was enriched with new artistic elements.[17][18]
The most famous Albanian painter wasOnufri who worked almost his entire life in Albania and Macedonia.[15] Onufri was distinguished for its rich use of colors and decorative shades with certainethnographic national elements that are more visible with his successorsDavid Selenica,Kostandin Shpataraku and theZografi Brothers.[15] They lavishly painted diverse churches and monasteries throughout Albania and neighboring countries, especially visible inBerat,Elbasan,Voskopojë, andKorçë.
TheOttoman period of Albania during the fifteenth century is traditionally said to have had a negative impact on Albanian art and so the influences ofRenaissance were extinguished. This influence was absorbed and reinterpreted with an extensive construction ofmosques that opened a new section in Albanian art, that ofIslamic art.[19] This style of art was usually portrayed by the highest degree ofmotifs,arabesques andornamentation of interlacing geometrical patterns of polygons, circles and interlocked lines and curves. The Ottoman Empire's cultural influence affected many aspects of Albanian cultural life. Despite local traditions, Ottoman visual culture had an impact on local culture, especially in introducing models of visual representation, new themes in mural paintings and new patterns of decorations.[18]
In the nineteenth century, a significant era for Albanian art begins. The great liberation acts starting withLeague of Prizren in 1878, that led to theIndependence in 1912, established the climate for a newartistic movement, which would reflect life and history more realistically andImpressionism andRealism came into dominance.[20]
Kolë Idromeno is perhaps the most famous of the Realist painters in the country and often considered as the introducer of Realism in Albania.[21] Some artists captured thehistorical past and identity ofAlbanians in landscapes of vast forests, wide rivers, pristine lakes as well as portraits. Other artists have been focused on social criticism, showing the conditions of the people. By the early twentieth century, a radical artistic change occurred and experienced a patriotic renaissance. The year 1883 is dominated and celebrated for the creation of the most crucial and finest paintings The Portrait of Skanderbeg by Jorgji Panariti andMotra Tone byKolë Idromeno.
Impressionism did not make itself evident among Albanian artists until after 1900. It did inspire numerous painters among them Vangjush Mio, the first impressionist painter of Albania.
By the middle of the twentieth century, acommunist government took rule over Albania and the artwork that arrived during the communist era reflects its time. Art was censored by the government and artists were urged to create works that endorsedsocialism. The dominant theme of Albanian paintings was theproletariat, 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.
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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 byimpressionism andexpressionism, it is mostrealistic in its depiction of everyday life. Such works can be found at the National Arts Gallery of Albania and the National History Museum both located in Tirana. Contemporary Albanian artwork captures the struggle of everyday Albanians, however, new artists are utilizing different artistic styles to convey this message. Albanian artists continue to move art forward, while their art still remains distinctively Albanian in content.
Alt post-modernism was only introduced fairly recently among Albanian artists, there are a number of artists and works known internationally. Among the most famous Albanian contemporary artists areAnri Sala,Sislej Xhafa,Adrian Paci,Helidon Gjergji,Alban Hajdinaj, andArmando Lulaj and . Lulaj is went on to become one of the founders of theart collective Manifesto.
Post-modern tendencies among Albanians were first spotted during the 1980s inKosovo.[22]
Sculptures of national icons became popular throughout the country. In 1968, SculptorOdhise Paskali (with help from fellow sculptorsAndrea Mana andJanaq Paço) constructed a monument ofSkanderbeg, Albania's national hero, in honor of the 500th anniversary of his death, and it is placed in the center of the capital city ofTirana.
The Tirana Biennale is the main contemporary, international art event. Founded in 2001 by Edi Muka, Gezim Qëndro, andGiancarlo Politi, it has enjoyed over the years the contribution of many international curators, likeFrancesco Bonami,Adela Demetja,Massimiliano Gioni,Jens Hoffmann,Hans Ulrich Obrist, andHarald Szeemann. Many famous Albanian and foreign artists are usually invited.[23]
Through different times, variousvisual art works of foreign artists throughoutEurope, such aspaintings,portraits,etchings,sculptures,reliefs and works of other genres of art has been dedicated toAlbania and theAlbanian people.
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In 1585, theItalian Renaissance painter,Paolo Veronese dedicated a painting illustrating theSiege of Shkodër from theMiddle Ages to theShkodrans, which is housed on the ceiling of theDoge's Palace inVenice,Italy.[24]
In 1809, theEnglish poet and noblemanLord Byron arrived in Albania which made a great impression upon him and his life.[25] Afterwards,Thomas Phillips completed in 1813 a portrait of Lord Byron that shows him wearing atraditional Albanian dress that Byron also described it the most magnificent in the world.[26]
Between 1827 and 1828, theFrench painter,Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps made a visit to Albania that resulted a great series of paintings illustrating the Albanians with their costumes.[27] Among his most impressive and renowned paintings include the Albanian Duel and Les Danseurs Albanais.
Another passionateBritish painter and poet includeEdward Lear who travelled to Albania in 1848 where he was impressively inspired by Albanian landscapes.[28] He lavishly created a grandiose collection of paintings and drawings that depicted theculture, thetraditions andlands of theAlbanians exactly as it appeared.[15]
Individual works were created even earlier by distinguished authors such asAry Scheffer (Gratë Suliote),Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (L'Albanaise),Eugène Delacroix (several works),Jean-Léon Gérôme (several works),John Singer Sargent (Albanian Olive Pickers),Amedeo Preziosi (Albanians Mercenaries),Erwin Speckter (Portrait of an Albanian women),Charles Bargue (Head of Young man) andWilliam Linton (Albanian Mountains).
Andrea Alessi, architect and sculptor, was a native of Durazzo in Albania and possibly of local rather than Italian origin.
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