Painting with a sense of purpose

Years ago I entered the home of an art enthusiast who had whole walls papered in paintings, and came away with the memory of just one work which I was told was by a certain Rossella Dalmas. I resolved that I must meet this talented young artist, and in fact our paths were to cross soon enough.

Ms Dalmas is one of Malta's foremost but unsung artists. It turned out that I was mistaken in taking her for a young artist, but then youth is also a state of mind. In fact it is greatly to Ms Dalmas's credit that she has made it to her level in a generation where only very few women went beyond a modest level of artistic achievement.

Ms Dalmas's father was a well-known photographer and watercolourist and so her artistic instincts were stimulated at a very young age. As happened often and, regrettably is still happening, Ms Dalmas was "encouraged" to drop her art in favour of more "acceptable" studies, however, her drive was such that she not only came back to it but over the years and with much experimentation developed a style that is distinctively her own.

Although one is tempted to liken Ms Dalmas's work to that of Joe Bellia, as they both draw on nostalgia and share a warm, Mediterranean acrylic palette, Ms Dalmas's work is much more structured. Her excellent draughtsmanship, as evidenced in her architectural paintings, is combined with a strong sense of composition. The two are however softened by her technique of building up layers of scumbled paint, applied almost dry with a balding brush, very particular but certainly effective.

Her current exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts is also linked by a strong colour theme which runs throughout. An intense range of blues, turquoises and greens is set off by yellow and orange ochres and earth colours that permeate an intensely Mediterranean feel throughout the exhibition.

While Ms Dalmas's technique has become her trademark, this is heightened by her choice of subject. Anyone familiar with her notable photographic work knows that Ms Dalmas sets herself the challenge of avoiding the attractive but standard vistas that would make more obvious choices. Although the theme of the exhibition is Illo Tempore (At that Time) I use the word "nostalgia" with some trepidation as Ms Dalmas's works are anything but chocolate-box renditions of Maltese landscapes. A sole pilaster-base is lit by a striking play of light and shade. Oil drums abandoned in a field of brilliant Cape Sorrel (Haxixa ingliza) create a striking composition that no one else would think of looking at twice. Door knockers are set off by the faded paint and wood grain of an old door. The plain walls of a nondescript village alley make the perfect canvas for nuances of colour, light and shade that are almost abstract in their simplicity.

Refusing to be classified by traditional concepts of "style" Ms Dalmas defies being pigeon-holed. While the wild beauty of Nzul ix-Xemx at Kuncizzjoni might be considered Impressionist, in works such as Nostalgia and Valletta Roofs the juxtaposition of modern alongside ancient buildings and the minimalist paring down of most of the architectural detail creates an intriguing effect of impersonal, surreal structures. This almost metaphysical atmosphere is reminiscent of some Italian art of the 1950s, a possible throwback to Ms Dalmas's Italian mother's heritage.

It is to the Museum of Fine Art's credit that it is bringing us exhibitions of such a consistently high standard, especially appreciated in the case of artists who rarely exhibit like Ms Dalmas. It is for this reason that I urge the art-loving public to drop by before July 17, to treat themselves to this artist who is rarely seen but in her understated way makes a no less valid contribution to Maltese art.