Entries (RSS)| Could you please describe your childhood? |
| I was born in Cospicua in 1939; at a very young age my family had to move to Rabat due to the Second World War air raids on Cottonera. I always enjoyed sketching and drawing. My friends use to ask me to sketch for them images of St. Joseph or St. Paul whose saints’ feasts are celebrated in Rabat. |
| There were two sculptors in my neighbourhood well known for their religious decorative work in wood. They inspired me towards woodcarving. |
| When I was 14, I started an apprenticeship at the Malta dockyard. On a particular occasion, an instructor on seeing some of my drawings encouraged me to register at the Malta School of Arts in Valletta. I took his advice and I started attending the well-known school immediately. I started wood carving under the tutorship of Samuel Bugeja. Later on, I had to stop the evening classes due to my GCEs examinations. Once I had completed these exams, I started attending school once again, this time in the modelling class under the tutorship of George Borg. |
| After just two years, in 1961, I was awarded the sculpture scholarship after finishing first in the annual examination; I chose the Accademia di Belle Arti, Rome as my destination, where, I attended also for ceramics lessons at the Istituto Statale d’Arte and Scuola dell’ Arti Ornamentali, all found in the eternal city . I started the diploma course by being admitted in the second year and therefore I obtained the diploma in just 3 years. I finished my fourth year in the United Kingdom where I completed successfully an Art Teachers’ course at Brighton College of arts and crafts. During this course, I specialised in modelling, wood carving, etchings and lino prints apart from educational weekly visits to London’s art galleries and museums. |
| When I returned back to Malta, I was offered a job as an art teacher at St Theresa Girls’ Secondary School, Mdina which later became known as Junior Lyceum for Girls, Mriehel. |
| In 1983, the director of education Mr Reno Borg expressed his desire that I should start teaching sculpture at the Malta School of Arts, a part-time job I’ve been doing since then. |
| Which are your favourite materials in sculpture and painting? |
Archive for December, 2007
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12
2007
Coming up this week
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence| Keep visiting www.artinmalta.com for the latest information on art related events and exclusive interviews with Maltese artists. |
| Coming up the last post for 2007 |
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| Could you please describe your childhood? |
| I was born in Cospicua in 1939; at a very young age my family had to move to Rabat due to the Second World War air raids on Cottonera. I always enjoyed sketching and drawing. My friends use to ask me to sketch for them images of St. Joseph or St. Paul whose saints’ feasts are celebrated in Rabat. Visit www.artinmalta.com for the whole interview. |
| Do you have any comments about any artist or about any exhibition that you have recently visited? You can participate buy putting your comments online on www.artinmalta.com |
| Manuel Caruana |
16
12
2007
Meeting George Fenech at the heart of the photogenic village of Mellieha
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in George Fenech| In the heart of the photogenic village of Melieha which also provides the artists with several landscapes, I met the well known Maltese artist George Fenech mostly known for his landscape paintings. |
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| Born in Mellieha on the 3rd January 1926, son of Philip (1887-1953) and Carmela Sammut (1890-1967), the artist likes to recall his early years from his childhood playing in the family fields in Mellieha , close to nature and the landscapes that he treasures so much. He knows every corner of the village countryside. At a young age, George use to join his mother and help her drying the figs at “l- Irdum tal- Qammieh” which he latter depicted in his beautiful canvases. |
10
12
2007
Exhibition to visit this week
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence, Christopher Saliba| Gozitan artist Christopher Saliba is back with another exhibition titled “Roots of an Island”, the ninth solo event since 2002. The exhibition, showing at the National Museum of Fine Arts, South Street, Valletta, consists of around 20 of his latest semi-abstract landscapes. In his unique way of depicting local places of interest, Saliba captures the harmony of light, texture and colours of Mediterranean sea and landscapes. Saliba describes his interpretation of the landscape genre as expressionist, embellished with his own recognisable style and marked by a loose treatment of the subject. In some cases, as in paintings like Vittoriosa by Night and the Citadel, the interpretation of the subject matter veers towards almost complete abstraction. His mixed media technique on canvas reflects and explores nature and its attributes through the physical use of textural colour and form. Saliba’s unique way of transforming nature with his vibrant and contrasting colours tends to generate an emotional response from the viewer. |  |
| The exhibition is open to the public from Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. (last admission at 4.30 p.m.). For more information, one may refer to the artist’s official website: www.gozo-art.com |
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| ArtInMalta.com will be showing a full feature about the exhibition titled “Roots of an Island”. | |
06
12
2007
Meeting with Marco Arcidiacono the son of the well known artist Giuseppe Arcidiacono
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in Marco Arcidiacono |
I met Marco Arcidiacono the son of the well known Maltese artist and watercoulorist Giuseppe Arcidiacono. Marco is a simple no extravagance man. He is coming from a family well known into the furniture manufacturing business. |
| At a young age, Marco use to go out with his father whenever his father went to paint on location sometimes on his own and other times with some artists. Marco could recall places like Qrendi, Hagar Qim, Valletta and other places on the island which offers the artist a paradise for landscape painting. | |
| At the age of eight Marco went to England and where he studied at the St. Joseph College in Ipswitch. Art was one of his favorite subjects at school. When his art teacher realised that Marco’s father is an established artists, he asked Marco to get him a painting of his father. During one of his frequent visits to Malta, Marco asked his father to give him a piece of art for his teacher. | |
04
12
2007
Collective art exhibition organised by the Birkirkara local council
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence  |
The Birkirkara local council is holding a collective art and craft exhibition for the Birkirkara artists. The exhibition was inaugurated on the 3rd December 2007 by the major Michael Fenech Adami. Amongst the participating artists, there are work of arts from the following artistsJoseph Borg (Painter), Philip Schembri (Painter & Sculpturer), David Schembri (Painter), Kevin Casha (Photographer), Charles Bonnici (Sculpturer), Margaret Farrugia (Paintress), Sina Farrugia (Paintress), Alfred Briffa (Painter), Carmelo Schembri (Painter), Brian Caruana (Painter), Victor Caruana (Painter).
The exhibition remain open for public until Wednesday 5th December 2007. Opening hours are 9:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. and from 6:00p.m. – 8:00p.m. |
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12
2007
John Martin Borg – Exhibition entitled Moments in Time
Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in 43 years anniversary of the Independence, John Martin Borg |
| John Martin Borg is exhibiting around 50 watercolour recent works; these include a selection of Marine and landscapes, abstracts and religious works. The exhibition will be open to the public from the 1st December 2007 till the 31st December at a commercial galley. |
| More photos from the exhibition |
| Keep visiting www.artinmalta.com for an exclusive interview with John Martin Borg. |