A monument depicting the late Guido de Marco poised as if to shake your hand will soon be placed next to the law courts in Valletta.
With his right hand lifted for a handshake and the left holding his autobiography, the monument was cast in bronze by artists Aaron Camilleri Cauchi and his father, Alfred.
It is the same autobiography that Aaron read before he sculpted the gesso model statue of Prof. de Marco that was chosen at the end of last year by a panel of architects, artists, Heritage Malta officials and representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The book is about his life and he is holding it in his left hand. As the saying goes: his life in his hands,” Mr Camilleri Cauchi said.
Speaking at their workshop in Fgura, the 35-year-old said they met Prof. de Marco’s wife, Violet, and children, Giannella, Fiorella and Mario, to discuss any alterations to make the model “as real as possible”.
“We wanted to portray Prof. de Marco as a people’s person. The first thing he did when he met somebody was shake his/her hand.
“Building a statue is not just about the face but the most challenging part is to bring out the character from every angle. The person has to be recognisable even from the back.”
The monument represents Prof. de Marco around the time he became the country’s sixth President in 1999.
He was appointed as the 45th president of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1990, three years after he was nominated deputy prime minister after the Nationalist Party’s electoral victory.
Every detail was planned and the positioning of the monument near the law courts reflects his background as a leading criminal lawyer.
The plinth, made of white stone, was purposely built low to reflect Prof. de Marco’s signature trait of being a “people’s person”. It also slanted upwards, depicting his political career, Alfred Camilleri Cauchi, 71, said.
The style also fits in with that of Antonio Sciortino’s, whose Great Siege monument stands opposite the law courts. The internationally renowned Maltese artist was one of the teachers of Alfred’s father, Wistin.
The Camilleri Cauchis watched footage and photographs of the former president before working on the monument, and his family provided tips such as his preference for shoes with laces over slip-ons.
He would leave undone the lower of two buttons on his blazer and the bottom part of his shirt sleeves would emerge from under the jacket.
“Such details made the monument as real as possible. The procedure was repeated with the relatives of President Emeritus Ċensu Tabone, whose monument will be unveiled later on this year in Sliema.
“We learnt that Dr Tabone, for example, would not keep his wedding ring on because of his medical profession.”
Following meetings with the relatives earlier this year, a seven-foot clay model of Prof. de Marco was built to serve as the base for a gypsum cast. This was then used to cast a gypsum statue that was transported to the Domus Dei Foundry in Rome to make the final bronze monument.
The unveiling will take place on September 12.