More than meets the eye

The nude took quite a long time to be introduced in the Maltese art scene and, because of this, artistic language has lacked behind the development of this genre overseas, according to artist and lecturer Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci.

Dalli has broken the seal and consistently and persuasively taken this art form into higher realms, added Dr Schembri Bonaci when commenting on the exhibition of works by Patrick Dalli at the Museum of Fine Arts in South Street Valletta called Patrick Dalli: The Human Figure.

Dalli has absorbed a lot of influences, the most explicit among them being Lucian Freud, the German-born British painter who after the 1950s employed a thicker impasto than he did in his earlier work. But in spite of these influences, Dalli has managed to come up with his own unique world view.

“Dalli manages to detach himself from Freud. Making use of violent brush strokes, Dalli’s attention to detail is incredible. The detail which is quasi pedantic leads to works that portray a strange sense of raw graciousness. Despite this ‘violence’ and heaviness, the overall effect is one of lightness.

“Dalli seems to be trying to reintroduce beauty, painterly beauty, especially in his portraits. The strict discipline in his works is counterbalanced by the quick slashes in the set of drawings in mixed media. The ‘maximization’ in the paintings is contrasted with the minimalism in the extremely exciting drawings,” Dr Schembri Bonaci said.

In an essay in the book published parallel with the exhibition called Patrick Dalli: The Human Figure, Dr Schembri Bonaci opines that it was now time for Dalli to take up the Sisyphean struggle in humbly challenging the masters... Dalli is now fully equipped to relate his praxis not only to the life model, but important still, to the great masters of the past”.

The exhibition runs till May 30.

See slide show above.