Exhibition 'a study for the future'

The colourful illustrations of comic books fascinated Franco Navarro as a little boy and sparked a vivid imagination and fervour for art, which are today witnessed in his paintings.

Mr Navarro, 26, is setting up his first exhibition at the Castille Wine Vaults in Valletta. It opens today and will run for three weeks.

The collection of paintings, which includes a mixture of mostly oils, acrylics, pastels and plastic paint, is inspired by the sensitivity of painters such as Rembrandt and the inventiveness of Matisse and Picasso.

One of his paintings is the artist's interpretation of Caravaggio's The Beheading of St John, inspired by the turmoil in Iraq and the beheading of innocent people by terrorists.

The first tuition in art that Mr Navarro received was at the Palazzo De La Salle in Valletta in 1990 and he later spent six years at the Government School of Art where he studied fine art and the history of art.

He also graduated with a degree in history of art from the University of Malta.

"My work is a fusion of modern and contemporary art, my fascination with art giants Michelangelo and Caravaggio and the influence of recent styles such as the Norwegian Kitsch," he said.

"My works are merely a study for the future, a continuous research to fuse modern art with the corporeal sensitivity and love for design."

Mr Navarro cannot imagine living without his art and he paints whenever his emotions dictate, often spending hours alone with his canvas and oils.