The Window to the soul is the first one of the series called "The Last Generation of Kosovo's War Children". It’s a series of portraits of the last generation who remember war in Kosovo. Read on and enjoy!
As for the Window to the soul, it’s actually the first one of this series I’ve been working on. The series is called “The Last Generation of Kosovo’s War Children”. It’s a series of portraits, of the last generation who remember war in Kosovo. I picked a few interesting individuals, such as Rine, the one in this painting. I wanted to portray the young people who have been the first to break the mentality Kosovans had before the war. These kids are very involved with the arts, are very opened minded, and free spirits. They’re basically the barrier between the old mentality of Kosovo, and the progressed one.
- Diellza Gojan
I got the idea when I first saw Rine Krasniqi perform, (the girl in the painting). She’s an actress, and she was in this play/performance asking independence to be declared. Her performance was so raw and powerful, it triggered something in me. So I approached her, asked her if she would let me paint her, and she happily agreed. At first I had no idea where I was going with this, but it slowly came to me. Then I approached some other people, and they all were so excited to be a part of this series. That inspired me even more. I try to mix their style of work with mine, be it a detail or in the case of this painting, the 'raging with fire’ stare, she had during the performance. I painted it with oil paints, because I wanted portraits of young, modern people, but with traditional touches and techniques. Sort of a balance between the old and the new. The painting is quite big, about 70cm x 50cm, because I wanted to be one of those “in your face” paintings.
- Diellza Gojan
The world has this misjudgment of Kosovo, that we’re still struggling to get back on our feet after the war, and not exactly fitting in in the modern world, when in reality, it’s the opposite. With this series, I wanted to prove them wrong. I cannot wait to Introduce the world to the new and improved Kosovans.
- Diellza Gojan
About Diellza Gojan
Diellza Gojan is a third year student of Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts, based in Pristina, Kosovo. Her studies are focused more on the traditional media, which is mainly on the oil paint. She likes to explore and experiment so she's working with watercolours, ink, and spray cans by using different techniques, and working in different styles such as traditional to pop art and to street art. You can find more of her artworks on her Behance profile.