The Sphere of Life, a monumental ceramic sculpture by Paul VellaCritien, was inaugurated at Sta Luċija on Thursday evening by its mayor Frederick Azzopardi.
The sculpture commemorates the 50th anniversary of the town, which is marking the jubilee with a number of activities.
Vella Critien is an established artist who studied ceramics in Faenza and Ravenna, Italy. For him, the sphere is an abstract pure form in space, a modern concept representing the 21st century. It is pure fantasy and a symbol of the world inhabited by man.
The work is a variation on a theme that the artist exploited quite recently in ceramics. This sphere in wonderful, strong and vivid colours, is a globe revolving continuously at speed in space. The artist achieves a sense of movement with curvilinear bursts of colour that simulate the circular movement of wind-driven clouds in the sky.
A form in space, splendidly balanced, a will to form, as each form has a story to tell: life in harmony with planet Earth, a history of civilisation, related to our world, life and landscape, life and the environment, life and death, fear and risk, peace and war. The colours used are minerals and metals that form the earth: oxides are transformed through fire into glazes.
The artist transforms colour and light, sea and land, sky and clouds into a pictorial dance in exuberance, extravagantly precious and joyful, with a vibrant music that imbues humanity with life and liberty.
This dynamic force as expressed in this perfect sculptural form forms the axis of our life. It is our world that we are so conscious to preserve for posterity.
The sculpture is in continuous transformation as it reflects and refracts light as it reflects in the water of the fountain, with jets of water playing on its surface. It resembles life in continuous animation and movement.
The children of St Luċija will be brought up admiring brilliant colours in the centre of the town. Thus the idea of the sculpture garden and this sculpture should stimulate a love for art in our children.