Albania Through Art - Ferid Hudhri

ALBANIA THROUGH ART
Viewed through the eyes of artists, even a small country like Albania appears full of variety and unique. Over the course of many, many years of research, through gathering endless artistic images, the most important aspects of Albanian life and history have been perpetuated. However, only a marginal part of these works have become known or published. The bulk of the works of art on Albania and the Albanians are stilM preserved behind the walls of museums, art galleries, private collections and artists' studios.
Many years amidst Albanian artists and constant research on the treatment of the Albanian theme in art, have always inspired me and have enabled me to prepare this publication, in an effort to give as all-encompassing a view as possible on the Albanian world using art as its language.
This album begins with a short and illustrated Overview of the history of Albanian art, from the most early traces of figurative art on Albanian soil to contemporary art. The following section of this publication shows some of the works of word reknown artists on Albanian themes, such as Delacroix, Corot, Gerome and J.S. Sargent. The third and last section presents Albania through Albanian artists, the art of the Albanian Renaissance and Independence periods (the first works where Albanians perpetuate their life in art), as well as some of the most well-known works belonging to the period of socialist realism. Selecting this group of works was more difficult, not only because there are far more works, but also because of the unique criteria suggested by that period to select paintings. The final section also shows a selection of some of Albania's premiere contemporary artists.

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