Spiro Xega

Spiro Xega (1876-1953), one of the early figures of Albanian painting, was born in Opar in the Korça region of southeastern Albania. He spent his early years in Turkey, where he learned to draw and paint, though without formal professional training. Back in Albania, he was a member of the guerrilla band of Çerçiz Topulli and later worked as a fuel and salt merchant in Korça. His earliest paintings, mostly on nationalist themes, date from before World War I. He is remembered in particular for his Çeta e Shahin Matrakut (Warrior Band of Shahin Matraku), 1930; and for his horseback painting of Skënderbeu (Scanderbeg), 1931.

Robert Eslie