Drawing his own conclusions
Showtime talks to one of our most distinguished artists, Luciano Micallef
How old were you when you realised you had a special talent for painting, over and above the "amateur dauber"?
I started painting at the very young age of seven, with lots of encouragement from my father. I have never stopped since. When I was in form one, I sat for my advanced level in art and received an A, which meant that I already had a good basis. I suppose I never felt I had a special talent, I do what I know. However, I am often disturbed by what I consider mediocre. I suppose that the talent lies in being able to distinguish between mediocre and excellent. I notice that lots of people are unable to distinguish between the two.
Before you begin a painting, do you have a picture in your mind's eye of what the finished work is going to look like... and does it usually emerge on the canvas in the way you envisaged?
Abstract painting is about the unknown and intangible. It is not preconceived but deals with an ongoing process of ideas and reflections on life, which are not fixed. Each painting becomes a metaphor that helps one understand better this process. For instance when I dealt with stainless steel I was very concerned with the way each work reflects clearly not just me but also the viewer. When the viewer elaborates his views he is clearly speaking about himself not me, hence the reflection in the steel is a clear reminder of this.
Quite a few abstract artists refuse, or are unable, to explain their work. What is your reaction when somebody asks you to explain a canvas?
I have often expressed my own views as well as written about my intentions regarding my work. I am not one who believes that the work speaks for itself. If one has clear ideas then there should not be any difficulty in elaborating (on) them. On the other hand, I also encourage the viewers to express themselves and exercise their creativity of interpretation. Their role is not solely to watch but to reveal what is hidden and to give a voice to what is silent and mute.
Why abstract over realism?
Realism, or rather figurative art, deals with the skin of the object, the exterior, while abstract painting attempts to reveal the soul of the object. We are over-immersed in objects, it is about time that we obliterate them from our view and concentrate beyond the material. There are times when an object becomes more present in its absence; similarly we are able to revive experiences without the need of the object being present. For me abstract painting does something similar.
Let's find out a little about you. Where were you born, grew up, got educated, etc... ?
I had no fancy upbringing, rather ordinary and mundane, pragmatic and very realistic. I was one of nine brothers and sisters. I attended the Lyceum secondary school. Since there was no art school available I was hoping to take up philosophy at University, since I was convinced that philosophy was the strongest link to art. However, when the time came, philosophy was removed for political reasons. I was offered the opportunity to study textile design as a trainee in Barcelona, Spain. Eventually I followed a four-year course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.
Who were your mentors when you first began studying and practising your art?
Prof. Joseph Briffa, my first tutor, remains a constant reference. His genuine concern, his honesty and his humbleness were characteristics that left an impact on me. Then followed Harry Alden and soon after Antoine Camilleri.
Of all the great periods for creative art, which is your particular favourite and why?
It is difficult for me to select a period since each relates strongly to a specific time and context. Each movement in art has supported the one that followed. I still feel fascinated by the output of intellectual creativity that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century: Art Nouveau, Cubism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Futurism, the Bauhaus. In such a relatively short time an explosion of art movements occurred despite the restrictions and conditions.
Which modern artists do you particularly admire and why?
Every century has produced one or two great masters. As a student at the academy I admired and studied carefully the works by Gustave Klimt. He managed to combine the figurative and the abstract in the most brilliant of ways. Later I added Burri and Tapies.
If there is one painting in the world that you would have liked to have painted, which would it be and why?
No there is no such painting, since every painting records its time and history. I can only belong to the present and I attempt to paint what belongs to my experience as well as my context.
In your career to date you have passed through a number of periods. We can think particularly of, what we may call your metal period. What motivates this change or modification of style
Art has never ceased to evolve over many centuries. The true artist is constantly searching for something new, undiscovered. I have always attempted to reveal in each stage of my career something different, often leaving behind what I am familiar with to launch something yet unseen. Art is concerned with tomorrow not yesterday.
Which young Maltese artists do you predict a bright future for?
I fear that locally we define a good artist according to his/her technical bravados. Personally I believe that besides being technically prepared a good artist also needs a sound intellectual background and lots of maturity and hard work, elements which have become rather scarce, not just locally but also abroad.
What would Luciano Micallef like to be doing 10 years down the line?
I very much hope that I shall be executing the paintings that I would not yet have done till then. Needless to say that in this journey of mine, painting is a major incentive that keeps me going and has given me a purpose for being.
I started painting at the very young age of seven, with lots of encouragement from my father. I have never stopped since. When I was in form one, I sat for my advanced level in art and received an A, which meant that I already had a good basis. I suppose I never felt I had a special talent, I do what I know. However, I am often disturbed by what I consider mediocre. I suppose that the talent lies in being able to distinguish between mediocre and excellent. I notice that lots of people are unable to distinguish between the two.
Before you begin a painting, do you have a picture in your mind's eye of what the finished work is going to look like... and does it usually emerge on the canvas in the way you envisaged?
Abstract painting is about the unknown and intangible. It is not preconceived but deals with an ongoing process of ideas and reflections on life, which are not fixed. Each painting becomes a metaphor that helps one understand better this process. For instance when I dealt with stainless steel I was very concerned with the way each work reflects clearly not just me but also the viewer. When the viewer elaborates his views he is clearly speaking about himself not me, hence the reflection in the steel is a clear reminder of this.
Quite a few abstract artists refuse, or are unable, to explain their work. What is your reaction when somebody asks you to explain a canvas?
I have often expressed my own views as well as written about my intentions regarding my work. I am not one who believes that the work speaks for itself. If one has clear ideas then there should not be any difficulty in elaborating (on) them. On the other hand, I also encourage the viewers to express themselves and exercise their creativity of interpretation. Their role is not solely to watch but to reveal what is hidden and to give a voice to what is silent and mute.
Why abstract over realism?
Realism, or rather figurative art, deals with the skin of the object, the exterior, while abstract painting attempts to reveal the soul of the object. We are over-immersed in objects, it is about time that we obliterate them from our view and concentrate beyond the material. There are times when an object becomes more present in its absence; similarly we are able to revive experiences without the need of the object being present. For me abstract painting does something similar.
Let's find out a little about you. Where were you born, grew up, got educated, etc... ?
I had no fancy upbringing, rather ordinary and mundane, pragmatic and very realistic. I was one of nine brothers and sisters. I attended the Lyceum secondary school. Since there was no art school available I was hoping to take up philosophy at University, since I was convinced that philosophy was the strongest link to art. However, when the time came, philosophy was removed for political reasons. I was offered the opportunity to study textile design as a trainee in Barcelona, Spain. Eventually I followed a four-year course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.
Who were your mentors when you first began studying and practising your art?
Prof. Joseph Briffa, my first tutor, remains a constant reference. His genuine concern, his honesty and his humbleness were characteristics that left an impact on me. Then followed Harry Alden and soon after Antoine Camilleri.
Of all the great periods for creative art, which is your particular favourite and why?
It is difficult for me to select a period since each relates strongly to a specific time and context. Each movement in art has supported the one that followed. I still feel fascinated by the output of intellectual creativity that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century: Art Nouveau, Cubism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Futurism, the Bauhaus. In such a relatively short time an explosion of art movements occurred despite the restrictions and conditions.
Which modern artists do you particularly admire and why?
Every century has produced one or two great masters. As a student at the academy I admired and studied carefully the works by Gustave Klimt. He managed to combine the figurative and the abstract in the most brilliant of ways. Later I added Burri and Tapies.
If there is one painting in the world that you would have liked to have painted, which would it be and why?
No there is no such painting, since every painting records its time and history. I can only belong to the present and I attempt to paint what belongs to my experience as well as my context.
In your career to date you have passed through a number of periods. We can think particularly of, what we may call your metal period. What motivates this change or modification of style
Art has never ceased to evolve over many centuries. The true artist is constantly searching for something new, undiscovered. I have always attempted to reveal in each stage of my career something different, often leaving behind what I am familiar with to launch something yet unseen. Art is concerned with tomorrow not yesterday.
Which young Maltese artists do you predict a bright future for?
I fear that locally we define a good artist according to his/her technical bravados. Personally I believe that besides being technically prepared a good artist also needs a sound intellectual background and lots of maturity and hard work, elements which have become rather scarce, not just locally but also abroad.
What would Luciano Micallef like to be doing 10 years down the line?
I very much hope that I shall be executing the paintings that I would not yet have done till then. Needless to say that in this journey of mine, painting is a major incentive that keeps me going and has given me a purpose for being.