I AM AN AMATEUR

A friend currently living in Greece told me that ‘amateur’ in Greek is “ερασιτέχνης”, which derives from the verb “έρωμαι”=love and the word “τέχνη”=art. So it’s someone who loves art!
I don’t understand why this word has gained a negative connotation, when it’s such a lovely thing. In this sense, I am an amateur. I used to think museums were just big buildings with random art that people decided to put on show, but after going to different museums and particularly art displays it helped me realize things.
First, it helped me see that each artist has their own unique style. Another thing I realized this time during my visit was the fact that the simple pieces of artwork or antique objects are what caught my attention. I believe the reason for my attraction to them was because they were very minimal, simple and calm. Which also helped me see that not all art has to be extravagant, loud and abstract to catch your attention but it can also be minimalist and simple and still have the same effect if not greater and more powerful.Visiting museums is now one of the pleasant experiences for me. It is as if they open doors to a world of fantasy. By entering the doors of a good museum, it is possible to close off the doors of mind to the harsh realities of the real world for a while. Visits to museums are close to visiting a fairy land.

I had the pleasure to revisit the “Jahir Mazreku Museum” in Malishevë, my hometown. There are a number of relics from the past like weapons and wooden pieces, which serve as a wonderful and refreshing experience to see the relics of past from such close proximity. However, I have particularly been interested in paintings, they depict beautiful things, I can relate what I see to personal experiences and especially the modern paintings that feel like a message, as if the artist is having a conversation with me. While visiting the museum this year, I was lucky enough to able to see quite some paintings by different artists, mostly art from teenagers that were displaying their pieces of art and I could feel these emotions and hard-work that went into finalizing them. All of the paintings were attractive and vibrant in their own styles. Some were more traditional, others were glaringly flashy and colorful.

I was even more impressed with my visit to the “Museum of Kosovo” and the “Ethnological Museum” in Prishtinë. It was my first time vising both museums, I remember myself wanting to take in, every art piece I saw. The Museum of Kosovo had various departments that had collectibles and artifacts on different subjects and historical periods on display. I was mostly impressed with the Ethnological Museum and the experience there. There was another visitor there, a late 30s lung-surgeon from India currently living in Switzerland who seemed as impressed as I was with the lifestyle people of my country lived some decades ago. I was feeling very proud that he was able to see the hospitality Albanians had and have.
The museum was a mirroring of people’s way of living in the 18^th century and one room out of the two every house had, was reserved for guests. I was in awe with all three visits to the museums and I can’t wait to see more.