Strong, bold and vigorous, George Preca’s exhibition A Bold Expressionist reveals an artist who does not paint what the eye sees but what the mind perceives.

He is, however, purely figurative with a keen sense of the surreal, naive and metaphysical. At times gentle, delicate and elegant, Preca (1958) is an incurable expressionist. His expression overflows with emotion, an outpouring of sentiment and feeling tinged with pathos and empathy for humanity travelling the same path he treads, facing the same vicissitudes, his way of life, his philosophy.

His choice of subject or theme, though common, hides patient reflection and deep contemplation. Surface texture is only a subtle veneer for deeper emotion and feeling.

His work is not about physical reality, though tangible and material. It is about thought and intellect.

His subjects vary from sacred art to profane, from still life to landscape, from fictional male to female portraits, to horses, to lush trees and woods, to everyday themes, to moods and sentiments.

A self-taught artist, Preca stamps his work with his reflective nature and he is most surreal in his still life. He uses pencil, oil and soft pastel and acrylics as well as a combination of these media.

■ The exhibition is on at the Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julian’s until October 4.