Pietro Marubi ( sq, Pjetër Marubi; 1834–1903) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect and photographer and founder of the
''Marubi'' studio who spent most of his life in
Sanjak of Shkodër, today
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. Pietro was born in
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
, Italy in 1834, in a period of revolution for Europe. In 1856, Marubi was forced to leave Italy because of his participation in the Garibaldi movement, he moved to Shkodër, where he opened the first photography studio, which was named ''Dritëshkronja''.
Biography
Early life
Pietro Marubi was born in 1834 in the city of Piacenza, then part of the
Duchy of Parma. In young age, he was fascinated and involved in the political and social movement that consolidated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single unitary state. As such, he was considered supporter of
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...
s expedition against Austro-Hungarians. In 1856, he was forced to leave his native country after being accused of involvement in the murder of the mayor of Piacenza. Trying to get asylum in the Ottoman Empire, he heads to
Corfu, from where he leaves to reach
Vlorë
Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...
, but without taking asylum. Shortly after staying in this city, he decided to move to
Shkodër, populated by Catholics and a small community of Italians in the city.
Early career
In Shkodra, he decided to dedicate himself to his passion for photography, and so decided to open a photographic studio that he named "Dritëshkronja" (meaning ''Written with the light''). His name also changed, thus becoming Pjetër Marubi, which is the Albanian equivalent of the name Pietro. During the first months of staying he met Arsen Idromeno, with whom he became a family friend.
Kolë Idromeno
Nikoll Idromeno (; 15 August 186012 December 1939), better known as Kolë Idromeno, was an Albanian painter, sculptor, architect, photographer, cinematographer, composer and engineer during the Albanian Renaissance in the nineteenth century. H ...
, Arsen's son, becomes Marubi's apprentice until he helped him to go in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
to complete the studies at the
Accademia di Belle Arti
This is a list of the tertiary-level schools or academies of fine art in Italy that are recognised by the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, the Italian ministry of higher education.
Accademie di Belle Arti
The offic ...
, the academy of fine arts.
Pjetër befriends a mountain man, Rrok Kodheli, and brings his two sons
Mati and
Mikel Kodheli under his wing to teach them photography. The first of his apprentices will be sent to the Academy of Arts in Venice and later in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
in Sebastianutti & Benque photographic studio. Unfortunately, Mati Kodheli died suddenly in 1881 at the age of 19.
After the death of his brother, was Mikel Kodheli who took the role of assistant at a photographic studio. Enthusiastic, eager to learn, Kel was also sent to Trieste to be trained as a photographer.
Career and photography
The first picture of Pjetër Marubi dates back to 1858, in which was photographed
Hamza bey Kazazi, at that time a patriot and leader of the movement for independence from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in Albania. At that time, Marubi was only 24 years old and so began his career as a photographer, where he would pursue until the last days of his life. Many of early works of Marubi show the political events, important figures and events that have changed the country's history, such as the
League of Prizren
The League of Prizren ( sq, Besëlidhja e Prizrenit), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation ( sq, Lidhja për mbrojtjen e të drejtave te kombit Shqiptar), was an Albanian political organization which was offi ...
(1874) and the Mirdita Uprising (1876–1877). At first, Marubi photographed Shkodra's delegation attending the League of Prizren, which today is considered one of the rare testimonies of that organization.
The earlier photos of Marubi were black and white 21 x 27 cm, 26 x 31 cm and 30 x 40 cm. Later taking new tripod and portable cameras, he made 13 x 18 cm and 18 x 24 cm photos. Also the
collodion
Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol. There are two basic types: flexible and non-flexible. The flexible type is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the skin, ...
plates were prepared by himself in his atelier. In his works all the social classes of the country were indistinctly represented. From shepherds, to criminals, passing by famous actors or local rulers of the Ottoman Empire.
Marubi often worked as a photojournalist for foreign magazines, such as ''
L'Illustration
''L'Illustration'' was a weekly French newspaper published in Paris from 1843 to 1944. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in France then, after 1906, the ...
'', ''
The Illustrated London News
''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...
'' and the Italian newspapers ''La Guerra d'Oriente'' and ''
L'Illustrazione Italiana''. His photos were published in these newspapers to show the events of the time.
Death and legacy
Pjetër Marubi died in 1903, in
Sanjak of Shkodër, at the time
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, probably 69 years old. Unmarried and childless, Pjëter Marubi left his studio, his works and everything else possessed, as a legacy to his pupil, Mikel "Kel" Kodheli. After the death of Pjeter, Mikel Kodheli, as a gesture of gratitude, changed his own last name to Marubi, keeping alive the memory and the work of his master.
Kel Marubi
Kel Kodheli (better known as Kel Marubi) (1870–13 March 1940) was an Albanian photographer. He was the father of Geg Marubi.
Life
Kel Kodheli began his study of photography at the age of 15. During the 1920s, he studied in Lyon at the first ...
, as he is widely known, continued to work in the footsteps of his master and his contribution in photography is as important as Pjetër Marubi. The Marubi Dynasty continued for three generations, with Pjetër, Kel and
Gegë Marubi
Geg Marubi (9 May 1907 – 28 May 1984) was an Albanian photographer and son of Kel Marubi. He was the last photographer of his family and is regarded as one of the most prominent Balkan photographers of his generation.
Life
Born in 1907 i ...
, Keli's son.
Works
Notable photographs
* ''Hamza bey Kazazi'', Shkodër, 1858
* ''Boy on the donkey'', Shkodër, 1875
* ''Young Muslim woman'', Shkodër, 1884
Gallery
File:Hamza Kazazi.jpg
File:The delegation of Sanjak of Shkodra in the League of Prizren.jpg
File:Rapsodi, by Pietro Marubi.jpg
See also
*
Kel Marubi
Kel Kodheli (better known as Kel Marubi) (1870–13 March 1940) was an Albanian photographer. He was the father of Geg Marubi.
Life
Kel Kodheli began his study of photography at the age of 15. During the 1920s, he studied in Lyon at the first ...
*
National Museum of Photography "Marubi"
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marubi, Pietro
Albanian photographers
People from Piacenza
1834 births
1903 deaths
19th-century Italian photographers
Italian emigrants to the Ottoman Empire