84 years ago, the master of Albanian painting, Kolë Idromeno, passed away.

“This emblematic figure not only brought a European urban beauty to the city of Shkodra but also paved the way for the development of modern Albanian visual art,” writes the Shkodra Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage in an online publication in honor of Idromeno.

Regarded as the founder of Albanian realistic painting, Kolë Idromeno is also known as an architect, urban planner, photographer, scenographer, set designer, musician, and composer. He holds the title “The People’s Painter”.

He was the first to organize film screenings in Albania in 1919. In 1883, he created the painting “Motra Tone” (Sister Tone), which is the first significant realistic work in Albanian painting during the Renaissance and Independence period.

Kolë Idromeno hailed from a Chamerian family that originated from Parga, Greece, and settled in Shkodra. He received his first art lessons in the studio of Pietro Marubi, bringing him into contact with the emerging medium of photography. At the age of 16 in 1875, he went to Venice, where he spent a brief period studying at the Academy of Fine Arts and later with a Venetian artist’s studio. After this experience, in 1878, he returned to Shkodra, where he showcased his interests and talents in various fields. He became known for architectural projects for several public and private buildings in Shkodra, such as the Grand Café, the National Bank, and several houses on the city’s main streets. His proposed architecture introduced some Western features against the oriental architecture that had penetrated over the centuries.

His photographic collection includes 1300 glass negatives in the Center for Albanological Studies in Tirana and about 100 negatives in the “Marubi” Museum.