Entries (RSS)| In the heart of Floriana, I was welcomed by the well known artist Isabelle Borg. Most people associate Isabelle with her landmark in the twentieth century Maltese art, “Lovers in the Bull”. | |
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Isabelle walked me into her house whose walls are decorated with her colourful paintings. Her works run in series of abstracts, portraits and landscapes. The predominant medium is oil, although use is also made of other materials to incorporate a tactile sense into the work. Vivid colours and strong forms unite the different series in a quest for a personal, expressive language. The figure in space is a predominant theme in most of her work. |
| Isabelle Borg was born in London in 1959 and studied painting at the Camberwell School of Art in London . After graduating in 1986 she spent a short time in West Berlin before returning to Malta in 1988 and setting up her own studio in Floriana. Isabelle qualified MA in History of Art at the University of Malta . She has worked at the university since 1994 as a full-time lecturer of Art and History of Art. | |
| Isabelle prepared a nice cup of fresh ground coffee and soon she started talking about her recent years of painting. While she was talking, at certain times, she stops and she refers to a painting for example the time she spent with her mother in Florence , it is marked with some paintings of the Florentine gardens and paintings of the scene from the window of the apartment. | |
Archive for November, 2007
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Anyone familiar with Kenneth Zammit Tabona’s work will immediately visualise his stylised studio work in ink and gouaches. His nostalgic depictions of townscapes, festas, balconies and gardens and, above all, his unique interiors that capture the cluttered richness of Maltese drawing rooms all provide a backdrop to the type of people that he sees every day – all chocobloc with amusing detail. |
| Kenneth comes across as a calm and happy go lucky person. His appreciation and love of art started at a young age. Perhaps being an only child may have had something to do with it as he was always amusing himself by reading, writing and painting. From a young age he enjoyed sketching what he had visualised or read. Still today Kenneth’s art is largely inspired by something he has read, or visualised. This is why he enjoys illustrating books so much. He was the illustrator of the humorous book called Lost Letters, which was writer by Nicholas De Piro and was published in London. |
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2007
Interpreting The Caravaggio – Fine Arts, Malta
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence |
Students from the Malta School of Arts are holding a collective exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, South Street Valletta, Malta. |
| ‘Interpreting The Caravaggio’, the exhibition includes a variety of paintings and drawings. In this exhibition, the students are exhibiting their latest work carried out this year which contains studies of work done by Caravaggio or scenes from the life of Caravaggio. Scenes also include parts of Malta. Other work includes the use of Ciaro E Scuro in the contemporary art. | |
| The work is executed in a variety of media including Oil Paintings, Chalk and Charcoal, Collages and mixed media. The exhibition is open for the public and entrance is free. |
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2007
St. James Cavalier art from the 20th century
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence |
At the St. James Cavalier, Valletta Malta there is an exhibition with works of art from the 20th century by well known Maltese artists. |
| In this exhibition one could find works from various well known Maltese artists some of which passed away. Some of the participating artists are Antoine Camilleri, Isabelle Borg, George Fenech, Carmelo Mangion, Frank Portelli, Anthony Calleja and others. | |
| Denis Vella the curator of the Fine Arts museum focuses this exhibition on the Maltese trades which consist of builders, fishing, agricultural work and ship repairing. This exhibition presents to the viewer an opportunity to appreciate trades that are ignored due to our busy life. |
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2007
A white chapel for a white dance – Museum of Fine Arts.
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence, Blogroll  |
An exhibition of paintings – A white chapel for a white dance – by Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci is on from 2 November to 2 December at the Contemporary Hall of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta. Open Monday to Sunday from 0900hrs – 1700hrs (Last Admission 1630hrs). |
| The exhibition is meant to represent a chapel, another constant feature employed by this artist; a chapel as a place of contemplation with art as a contemplative medium, a prayer. | |
| The artist’s objective in this exhibition was to dispute white. White is the unity of light and the paintings shows an artistic thinking process with the concept of white. | |
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2007
Trilogy by Clinton Carter
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence, Clinton Carter |
Clinton Carter is holding his 2nd solo exhibition at the Workers Memorial Building South Street, Valletta, Malta. |
| Entitled Trilogy, the exhibition includes a variety of Nudes, Still-life, Landscapes and sketches from life. In this exhibition, Clinton Carter is exhibiting his latest work carried out during the last two years. | |
| The exhibited work is executed in a variety of media including oils, pastels, chalk and charcoal, ink, and collages. The exhibition will remain open until the 2nd January 2008. | |
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2007
“Bottega..minn fejn tibda l-arti” nominated in the category best documentary
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence| Alpha Productions produced a new program on Net TV entitled Bottega…minn fejn tibda l-arti last January till April 2007 |
| The focus of this production was local art. Thirteen professional artists from different artistic disciplines, such as monumental and sacred sculpture, abstract and figurative painting, caricatures, photography, ceramics and gilding were featured. The list included Chev. Paul Camilleri Cauchi, Maurice Tanti Burlo’, Edwin Galea, Anton Agius, Anthony Calleja, Anna Galea, Horace Farrugia, Andrew Micallef, Paul Haber, Luciano Micallef, John Martin Borg, Martin Abela and Chev. Alfred Cailleri Cauchi. |
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2007
Gallery G – Alfred Briffa and Lawrence Buttigieg
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence |
Gallery G is currently a joint exhibition of Alfred Briffa and Lawrence Buttigieg. |
| Both artists have known each other for a number of years. During the last years they have seen each other on regular bases to work together at life sessions organised at Alfred Briffa studio in Mosta. | |
| Alfred Briffa is a well known restorer and an artist as well. He studied under several well known artists such as Gianni Bonnici. He furthered he studies at the Istituto Centrale del Restauro and the International Centre for the study of Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome. | |
| Briffa’s has a strong approach to the figurative nature, flesh hues and strong anatomical knowledge in the human figure. The use of soft colours in his figure drawing makes his paintings to be romantic and classic. |
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2007
‘En Plein Air’ art exhibition by Denise Borg Millo
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence, Denise Borg Millo |
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Denise Borg Millo is holding her 3rd Solo exhibition with the title ‘En Plein Air’. En Plein Air will be launched at Hotel Phoenicia, Floriana on 30 November 2007. It will be open for public viewing between 1 December till 28 December 2007 from 8.30am onwards. |
| En Plein Air is a collection of drawings and paintings of landscapes and seascapes painted on-site mostly produced during the summer of 2007. Walking in the footsteps of the 19th century French Impressionists who decided to leave their studio to paint outside, the artist manifests her aptitude for nature, and allows her surroundings and state of mind to condition her final result. Some paintings show a sense of serenity while others reveal an expressive spontaneity. This can be perceived in the way she applies her paint on canvas and her choice of colours. The complementaries blue, orange, purple and yellow dominate her canvases which, even though are at times allowed to run loose, are most of the time rapidly and heavily applied to create texture and contrast. Moreover, Denise engages the viewer in her world of inner thoughts while painting, by displaying them in conjunction with her work to further appreciate her frame of mind. | |
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2007
“AWAKENING” art exhibition by Raphael Labro
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence |
Vibrant Visions of a Neolithic Modern Master – Raphael Labro |
| “AWAKENING” Exhibition at the prestigious Cottoner Hall, Mediterranean Conference Centre. A stone’s throw away from The Grand Harbour of Valletta. | |
| Labro’s latest neolithic works tell of a future that is Here & Now. We exist within having recently become aware of the changes going on around us. “AWAKENING” touches on the experiences of inner emotion into crystal clear focus. | |
| “Yogi Goddess” a figure of spiritual bliss within the Hypogeum and “Tellus III” emerges in stages. Her eyes express great knowledge, spiritual understanding and growing awareness. The colours of her face blend with all the colours of earth and the universe. Both are symbols of wisdom as old as creation and show the Goddess “Awakening” from her sleep after 25,000 years of hibernation. These vibrant works show us the beauty that resides within us, and creates harmony with the ultimate passage of what was, what is, and what will be from the Great Awakening of “Tellus”, Mother Earth. |