The articulate artist

While most artists would say their medium is their art, not the spoken or written word, Luciano Micallef speaks with surprising eloquence about his works and about his philosophy of what art is... or rather, should be. Natalino Fenech caught up with him after his recent retrospective.

Luciano Micallef's articulacy and impeccable Maltese hit me right between the eyes. It had been long since I met someone who spoke the native tongue so well without switching from Maltese to English as if they were the same language.

"For me it's a natural process. You have to think before you draw or paint and the thought process is in words," he says when I compliment him for it.

Though having a very complex personality, he is endlessly positive and always looking at the bright side of life, yet questioning everything and wanting to get to the roots of issues. Mr Micallef strongly believes that art should represent tragedy or reproduce what one is familiar with but should provoke one to think.

"Even if you look at my early works, you'd notice that when I painted a portrait or a realistic image, there would be a splash of paint or lines across it which are there to remind you that what you are seeing is not real, but it's art," he says.

Having studied in Italy, Mr Micallef moved very fast from producing delightful academic pieces.

"Any artist worth his salt should be able to do academic work. It's your starting point. But then, you can't remain stranded there."

In his view, the main problem with art in Malta is that very few appreciate what art is.

"People do not distinguish between arts and crafts. Whoever puts a paintbrush to canvas calls himself an artist and gets media coverage. People do not make a distinction between a professional artist and an amateur," he says.

His criticism in this respect goes across the board.

"Ultimately it's in the eyes of the beholder. You can look at a piece of cardboard on the floor and call it a sculpture. But is that what art is all about?" he asks.

"It's easy to invent a story. But there has to be a reason why a painting is made. There has to be a background as well as a curriculum of the artist".

But one has to start somewhere, I interject.

"Of course. There's a place for everything and everyone, but the perspective has to be maintained. A first exhibition by an artist makes a statement. One has to see what direction the artist takes later. In my view, artists should develop their own style and get their inspiration from their own works. Copying someone else's work is not art."

Mr Micallef believes the underlying reason that people do not appreciate art is because art is not looked at as an intellectual activity but as a manual one.

"There is a process in art, even if this might not seem logical. Art is part of an artist's life. It's his philosophy and baggage. It's part of how we live, a reflection of how we mature and evolve.

"We don't have an art that speaks about the politically turbulent 1980s. Again, this is because art is seen as something manual, not intellectual.

"We glorify painters such as Gianni and Caruana Dingli, whose works portray folklore. I feel it's an attitude. It's as if we are unable to decide for ourselves and let others decide for us about what we have to see. I am not saying they have no value, but there is nothing thought provoking in them. Many of today's artists are still painting landscapes. Some are deformed because they are impressionist, but the works are still impressionist, not expressionist and intellectual."

Mr Micallef dismisses the romantic idea that artists draw or paint when inspired by muse.

"I smile when I hear people talking about 'il-muza'. Art is your life, with its ups and downs. Your convictions are continuous.

He's prepared to challenge a lot of other notions too: "The idea that a painting speaks for itself is nonsense. A painting should provoke you to think.

"Art is not a bravura to reproduce. Bravura is artiggjanat - a craft. Art is a contradiction; it seeks your attention and shows you something, but you have to discover the rest.

"An abstract painting is part of something else. You can't look at it like a figurative painting, which shows you or reminds you of things you know.

"You can look at abstract art from a variety of angles. It requires your vision, your creative reasoning and interpretation. That's why it's not so popular, because few are prepared to think."

He feels that abstract art carries a strong message against materialism.

"It does not reproduce things but aspires a world where everything is intangible, away from the physical but full of sensations. It has no perimeter, no boundaries and has no final destination. Nothing is absolute. Someone else can see other things in it too."

But even abstract art has to be pre-conceived and studied. "It's not a matter of splashing colours on a board or canvas. Colour is an attitude, a sensation of positive energy. Colours have many connotations. Yellow might mean different things for me than it means to you. Different people associate different colours with different situations, stories, places and time. So in the end, it depends on the attitude of the spectator too. But for me, painting is a way to reveal my perception of what's around me. It's not a reproduction but a transformation.

"I strongly feel art should create curiosity. It should make you ask. But it's a continuous process. A work of art is never a one-off really. It's part of something else as one leads to the next."

The retrospective exhibition, as well as his gallery, which contains early as well as contemporary works from his personal collection, clearly illustrate this point.

His early works and traditional portraits came as a surprise to those who had not followed Mr Micallef's development; many thought his works have always been abstract.

Although Mr Micallef started drawing and painting at an early age, the break into abstract came in the 1980s, when the human figure disappeared and has not returned since.

"Even in my early works, I was struggling to show that what I was painting was not realistic. A pipe you see in a painting is not a pipe. You can't smoke it. A figure is not a figure but reminds you of a figure. So I started painting dashes of colour across my figures to make the viewer realise that what one is seeing is not reality.

"You have to transform what you know and discover something new. The more you know the more you realise how such you still don't know. It's a vicious circle."

Yet, in spite of all this, he does not see his abstract paintings as abstracts.

"You can say it is shapeless, without a rigid form, even without a name. But it was made for a reason, hence it's not abstract."

His advice to budding artists is clear and to the point: one should develop his own reference points.

"Imitate yourself rather than assimilate works of others. You should look at others to understand, not to imitate.

"I find it important to leave the country every three to six months. I find that though what you leave behind, remains there, you value it differently both when seen for the distance as well as on your return. You sort of rediscover yourself. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"I sometimes abandon material I know and discover new. That explains my paper sculptures and the use of plastic and metal. They are out of works now, but they could return in future."

For one to achieve results, one must be prepared to wait. "You don't become an accomplished artist overnight," he says.

Another thing that strikes you is how methodical and what a perfectionist he is. He stands up to arrange a frame that is not hung perfectly on the wall.

"It's very important to pay attention to every detail. Even where the signature starts and ends is important. It's part of the painting just like anything else."

While he does not see much progress in art, he sees great strides forward in graphic arts.

"Today you see magazines which make you wonder if they are locally produced or not.

"Abroad there is a fine distinction between the graphic artist, the illustrator and the artist. Here, everyone is an artist."