Odhise Paskali
Odhise Paskali [ ɔðiˈsɛ paskaːli ] (born December 22, 1903 in Kozhan near Përmet , † September 13, 1985 in Tirana ) was one of the most important Albanian artists. He was a pioneer in the field of sculpture in Albania. His work has received several awards.
Career
education
Paskali was born in 1903 in the village of Kozhan near the southern Albanian city of Përmet . In 1910 the family moved to the village of Koblara , where his father earned the family income as a village teacher, although he was an Orthodox pastor by profession. Paskali attended elementary school in Përmet.
After many financial and other problems, Paskali was able to emigrate to Italy in 1916 with the help of an Arbëresh friend . After graduating from high school, he began studying at the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at the University of Turin in 1920 . In 1927 he was able to defend his diploma in the field of art history together with the historian Adolfo Venturi .
During his time in Turin , in addition to his studies, he was daily in the studio of the artist Edoardo Rubino , where he learned the craft of the sculptor. He became famous with his first works when he was a student. He wrote articles, poems, and short stories; translated novellas and essays on art.
First experiences with literature
In 1929 Paskali published the first issue of the magazine Studenti Shqiptar (The Albanian Student) , the main editor of which he was until it was discontinued after a total of seven issues. In addition to literary creations, he also published photographs of his sculptures and works by his painter colleagues such as Abdurrahim Buza , Vangjush Mio , Kristaq Sotiri and others. In 1935 the Argys publishing house in Tirana published a book containing three short stories translated by Paskali. For a few years he vacillated between literature and the fine arts without having determined the future direction of his creative power. The year 1928 marked the final turn and full devotion to sculpture.
Start of his work as a sculptor
The Bashkia of Korça ordered him for a monument dedicated to the freedom fighters. His first sculpture, I Urituri (The Hungry One) , created in 1924, quickly made him known as a burgeoning talent in Albanian art. However, with the Luftëtari Kombëtar (National Fighter ) monument realized for the city of Korça in 1932 , Paskali became the most famous sculptor in the country. On the same day the Flamurtari (flag bearer) statue was inaugurated in Vlora . Then three other sculptures were cast in bronze : Mihal Grameno (Korça, 1932), Çerçiz Topulli ( Gjirokastra , 1934) and Skënderbeu ( Skanderbeg ; Kukës , 1939).
With the statues of Odhise Paskalis some centers of the most important Albanian cities received a completely new image, which from then on determined their identity. After 1927, Paskali became fully involved in Albanian art life and for several years was at the forefront of many important national works.
In 1931 he founded the society Miqtë e Artit (The Friends of Art) together with the watercolorist Qenan Mesareja , where artists from all areas of Tirana gathered. In the same year Odhise Paskali organized the first national art exhibition of Albania, which opened in May 1931 in Tirana.
The drawing school and Paskalis influence in the art of Albania
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The exhibition also influenced the establishment of the drawing school ( Shkolla e Vizatimit ). Paskali was one of her main teachers from the start. He was later appointed director and played an important role in strengthening the school as well as in discovering and preparing new talent. After 1944, a distanced attitude was initially taken towards Odhise Paskali. He was not invited to the national post-war exhibition in April 1945, despite having previously created the statue of King Ahmet Zogu , as well as busts of other kingdom figures . But the value of the bronze statues that stood in the main squares of the cities kept his intact figure upright and helped that he was allowed to return to art.
He resumed his work with the hero busts Misto Mame (1948) and Vojo Kushi (1949), which were rated as the most beautiful works of that time. He later realized some monuments, such as Partizani Çlirimtar (The liberating partisan ) and Ndihmë Shokut ( To the aid of friends ; Përmet , 1964), Partizani Fitimtar ( The victorious partisan ; Mauthausen , 1968), Skënderbeu ( Skanderbeg ; co-authors Janaq Paço and Andrea Manito ; Tirana, 1968), the busts Dy Heroinat ( The Two Heroines ; Gjirokastra, 1974), Vëllezërit Frashëri ( The Frashëri Brothers ; co-author Thoma Thomai ; Tirana, 1978), Idriz Seferi ( Priština , 1980) and others.
In 1965 he realized the most successful version of the bust of Enver Hoxha , which was recreated a thousand times. She has been hailed as the work that best reflected and resembled the figure of the communist leader of Albania. Odhise Paskali opened his first sculpture studio, the largest in Tirana, and throughout his life he was one of the most valued artists in Albania.
Last years
His studio turned into a school for young artists, as well as for students and historians of art, since Paskali himself was also a good expert and student of artistic developments. He worked for a number of years as the museum director of the National Art Gallery Tirana and was largely free in his work.
Always committed to the realization of statues and monuments, he continued to write articles and essays about art, which were collected in the 1986 book Gjurmë jete (Traces of Life) . Paskali was a member of the Academy of Sciences , for several years the first in the field of art and one of the first artists to receive the prestigious Sculptor i Popullit (Sculptor of the People) .
Odhise Paskali died in 1985 in Tirana, where he had lived and worked.
reception
Odhise Paskali's life work, even if influenced by the same romantic spirit, is divided into two periods. In the first period before 1945 - when, in addition to the statues, some busts and bronze figures were also part of it - it is distinguished by its outstanding artistic value.
The statues are characteristic for their beautiful silhouettes and harmonious modeling based on the concept of sculpture from classical antiquity . In the busts of this period one finds a deeper treatment of the psychology of the people, more artistic interpretation by the author. With these treasures Odhise Paskali is referred to as the founder of the Albanian realistic sculpture. In the second period after 1945 he was also one of the most outstanding sculptors in the country.
In some of the works from this phase one sees an enrichment of artistic expression, while some others are characterized by the pompous schemes of socialist realism .
Paskali's works are now in the National Art Gallery, the National History Museum and some other museums and central institutions in Albania. After his death, his studio was converted into a studio-museum, where there were original works, as well as variants and plaster copies of some monuments, statues and busts, their originals in other places, in the streets and squares of Tirana and other cities.
Paskali's archive with records, documents and other materials that are of great importance for the art history of Albania was also kept in the Atelier-Museum. After the riots of 1990, the studio was damaged along with the majority of the works. Part of the archive is now kept by the Paskali Foundation , founded by Odhise Paskalis' daughter, Floriana Paskali .
After the Sculptor i Popullit and Akademik (Academics) awards , Paskali also received the title Nderi i Kombit (Honor of the Nation) . His name today is an art school in Peć, Kosovar, and a square in his hometown of Përmet.
Selection of works
Monuments
- Luftëtari Kombëtar (National Fighter) , 1932, Korça.
- Flamurtari (standard bearer) , 1932, Vlora.
- Partizani Çlirimtar (The Liberating Partisan) , 1964, Përmet.
- Ndihmë Shokut (To the aid of a friend) , 1964, Përmet.
- Partizani Fitimtar (The Victory Partisan) , 1968, Mauthausen.
- Skënderbeu (Skanderbeg) , co-authors Janaq Paço and Andrea Mano , 1968, Tirana.
Sculptures and busts
- I Urituri (The Hungry One) , 1924.
- Mihal Grameno , bronze, cast, 1932, Korça.
- Çerçiz Topulli , bronze, cast, 1934, Gjirokastra.
- Skënderbeu (Skanderbeg) , bronze, cast, 1939, Kukës.
- Misto Mame , 1948.
- Vojo Kushi , 1949.
- Dy Heroinat (The Two Heroines) , 1974, Gjirokastra.
- Vëllezërit Frashëri (The Frashëri Brothers) , co-author Thoma Thomai , 1978, Tirana.
- Idriz Seferi , 1980, Pristina.
Web links
- Short biography with selection of works, quotations, literary works, etc. (Albanian)
- Short biography with many photographs. Published 1985 in the gallery of figurative art, Tirana (Albanian; PDF file, 8.33 MB)
- Brief information on Rogallery.com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Paskali, Odhise |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Albanian sculptor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 22, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kozhan near Përmet , Ottoman Empire , today Albania |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 13, 1985 |
| Place of death | Tirana |