40. anniversary of Nikola Martinoski's death

Thursday marks the 40. anniversary from the death of Macedonian artist, professor and academician Nikola Martinoski.

Martinoski was one of the founders and first principal of the Skopje-based art school. His artworks are part of collections in a number of museums and galleries, as well as private collections in Macedonia and abroad.

He was born in Krusevo in 1903 and grew an interest for painting from his early years. He attended art classes in the workshop of icon painter Dimitar Andonov-Papradinski in Skopje. In 1920 he was already living in Bucharest, Romania where he attended the Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 1927.

He spent a period of two years (1927–1928) in Paris in the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Ranson, having artists like polish painter Moise Kisling and Roger Bissiere as mentors. This period would affect his way of life and further style of painting.

He came back to Skopje and developed a very specific expressionistic style, as he started dealing with social themes rather than doing mostly portraits. His first individual exhibition happened in 1929 in Skopje, and he continued exhibiting in Belgrade, Zagreb, Paris etc. He continued drawing, painting and exhibiting, but there is also a period when he did quite a few wall paintings. Later in his life he established the National Gallery of Macedonia.

He also was a regular member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.