Sofia Zengo Papadhimitri

Sofia Zengo Papadhimitri, also Sofia Papadhimitri (19 March 1915 - 13 June 1976) was an Albanian painter, who with her sister Androniqi Zengo Antoniu, is credited as one of Albania's first professional women painters.

Sofia Zengo Papadhimitri
Self-portrait, 1939 (National Gallery of Arts, Tirana)
Born	(1915-03-19)March 19, 1915 Korçë
Died	June 13, 1976(1976-06-13) (aged 61) Tirana
Nationality	Albanian
Education	Athens School of Fine Arts
Known for	Early Albanian woman painter

Biography

Sofia Zengo was born on 19 March 1915 in Korçë to an artistic family. She was the daughter of Vangjel Zengo, an iconographer, and his wife Vasiliqa. She took her first drawing lessons in Korçë under the supervision of Vangjush Mio.^[1] In 1934, she went with her sister to study at the Athens School of Fine Arts.^[2] In 1939, she graduated with honours for painting, in the class of the famous Greek impressionist, Spiros Vikatos. During her studies, together with her father, she painted the interior of the Holy Trinity Church in Korçë.^[1]

During the Second World War, she painted icons and portraits. After the end of the war, she moved to Tirana, where she worked as a drawing teacher at a school. In 1947, she married the sculptor Akile Papadhimitri, with whom she had two sons, Jani and Evangjel.^[1]

From 1945 to 1971 her paintings were displayed at nine exhibitions of Albanian art. In 1965, on the 50th anniversary of the artist's birth, an exhibition of her works was organized at the headquarters of the League of Writers and Artists of Albania. In 1971 she retired from teaching. She died in Tirana on 13 June 1976.^[1]

Legacy

Alongside her sister Androniqi Zengo Antoniu, she is considered as one of the first women-painters in the history of Albania.^[3] Her body of work includes over 300 oil paintings of portraits and landscapes, as well as over 200 charcoal drawings, many of which are held in private collections outside Albania.^[4]

A retrospective exhibition of her work was organized in 2015 by the National Museum of Fine Arts (Albania).^[4][3] The retrospective included oil paintings, as well as works on paper.^[3] It included works produced between 1936 and 1971.^[5] The same year, the city council of Korçë honoured her with a post-humous, honorary citizenship.^[1]

In 2020, her drawings were included in an exhibition on works on paper in an exhibition in Vlorë.^[6] According to art historians Shpresa Tolaj Gjonbalaj and Rregjina Gokaj, her works are part of the canon of second generation of Albanian art.^[7]

References

1. "Galeria Kombetare e Arteve | Sofia Papadhimitri". galeriakombetare.gov.al. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
2. Kalo, Sofia (2016-03-15). "Change of Sight, Sites of Creativity: The Visual Arts in Albania after Socialism". Doctoral Dissertations: 28. doi:10.7275/7950680.0.
3. "Shënohet 100-vjetori i lindjes së piktores Sofia Papadhimitri - Arkiva Shqiptare e Lajmeve". www.arkivalajmeve.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
4. "100 vjetori i piktores së parë femër shqiptare, ekspozohen punimet e 40 viteve të Sofia Zengo Papadhimitrit". sot.com.al. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
5. Sinani, Gent (4 July 2015). "80 tableaux de Sofia Papadhimitri mis sur l'affichage pour son 100e anniversaire de naissance". Agjencia Telegrafike Shqiptare. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
6. "Promenade Gallery in Vlora Opens New Exhibition". Exit - Explaining Albania. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
7. Gjonbalaj, Shpresa Tolaj; Gokaj, Rregjina (2019-01-01). "Common and Special Features of the First School of Drawing in Albania and the First School of Applicative Arts in Kosovo". Journal of Educational and Social Research. 9 (1): 45–52. doi:10.2478/jesr-2019-0005. ISSN 2240-0524.