Three - dimensional creativity

The viewing of an exhibition currently showing at Heritage Malta comes as a surprise, if anything for the novelty of seeing not regular flat canvas paintings but three-dimensional works that emerge through delicacy of context and raw composition enmeshed with a spurt of enigmatic spontaneity. Anthony Patrick Vella is exhibiting his first solo collection, in its great majority assembling works in bas relief that bring out realistically and naturalistically themes that somehow manage to transcend reality.

"These paintings began as an experiment. I needed to fuel my imagination and a good friend invited me to his garage to try out new techniques. These paintings are composed of a combination of sawdust and glue paste which are moulded and modelled together and left to dry. It is an extremely long process because I depend on the elements and the sun's aid to 'dry' the material into solidity. Quite frankly, the sun helps me in more ways than one, especially when craquelures occur spontaneously through the works, lending them a seasoned or rugged quality that further enhances the ground I finally have to paint upon."

And so these "experiments" found themselves, all 34 of them, finalised over a period of two years during which Mr Vella, an art teacher, refined his technique into what can now be considered a strong grasp of the medium.

Having lived in Valletta most of his life, he has drawn upon the wealth of baroque surroundings, allowing their influence to emerge to clearly remind the viewer of typical architecture - as in Barrocco, a diptych that makes a point of re-working stonework into a realistic rendering, making staid architecture fully discernible. Croce dell'Ordine is where the evidently strong influence of the Knights' legacy comes to the fore and a coat of arms takes a particularly vivid stance with a timely crack in its surface that seems to philosophically indicate a break with the past.

Mdina is tackled twice - first in Fortezza and then in La Città Eterna. The latter is a curious picture, but one which the artist describes very sentimentally as a vivid reminder of his dying mother juxtaposed against the walls of the city basking in the colours of sunrise. The painting is a re-interpretation of a tale of hope for the future and a mother's love that lives on beyond time.

A series of religious-themed panels tackle varied concepts namely highlighting the teachings of St Gorg Preca. From Nozze di Cana to Trasfigurazione Mr Vella manages to combine an able use of an inspiring colour scheme that, coupled with the bas relief figures and representations, allow the viewer to appreciate each panel's individual context, without prompting.

Perhaps the most poignant and eye-catching of all is the largest work at the far end of the hall. Something in this work draws the viewer in and unwittingly one has to walk up and admire it at close range. Dio e Amore is a diptych of sorts, a two-panel composition that indirectly depicts the cross of the Christ even though only the one outstretched hand of the crucified body is visibly discernible. The rest is a play of colours and meanderings of bas relief work that inspires the viewer to consider the theological context. The piece is exceptional for its overpowering simplicity and piercing meaning and would certainly find pride of place in a religious adobe. Mr Vella has managed to bring geometry, vitality and colour together with skill, and without moving too far off the beaten track still successfully produces works well worth viewing and appreciating.

• Transcendence by Anthony P. Vella is at Heritage Malta, Merchants Street, Valletta until January 7 and is open Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.