[attach id=242379 size="medium"]Paintings 2013, by Alfred Chircop.[/attach]
To celebrate an 80th birthday is a milestone. To celebrate it with two major exhibitions of your own work, executed in the past few months, is nothing short of remarkable.
This is exactly what Alfred Chircop has done. To celebrate his 80th birthday, in the early weeks of 2013, he has set up two exhibitions. One of large-scale oil paintings at the Auberge d’Italie courtyard, and one of watercolours at the Istituto italiano di cultura, both in Valletta.
Fr Gino Gauci, who helped Alfred Chircop curate the exhibition at the Istituto, assured those present at the inauguration that the process of choosing the watercolours to be exhibited was extremely difficult. How does one choose 32 works from several hundreds? And with Chircop close by, it was an even harder task, because all of these works mean so much to him. Each one gave Chircop a unique experience during its creation.
Another remark by Fr Gauci was about the late Rev Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott’s impact on Chircop’s art. “Each painting is the result of a profound reflection, of meditation and of contemplation, all of which was inspired by the presence of Fr Peter,” he said.
Chircop is known for the unwavering quality of his abstract compositions that never cease to leave an indelible impact on those who see them. And this whether one is standing before a work produced in the 1980s or 2013 – such vigorous creations illustrating a love for life and for this beautiful world.
It is this aspect of Chircop’s art that leaves many fascinated.
As Fr Gauci often said: “Alfred è il ragazzo di sempre”, that is, “Alfred is forever young”.
Chircop invites you to go to one or both of his ongoing exhibitions and partake in his spiritual experience, and follow Fr Peter’s directions: simply stand before his works, be quiet, and observe.
Alfred Chircop’s watercolour exhibition is open at the Istituto italiano di cultura, Valletta, until April 5, while the Auberge d’Italie exhibition is open until April 12.