[attach id=213045 size="medium"]Il-Blata f’San Niklaw.[/attach]
When the definitive history of Maltese art of the second half of the 20th century is eventually written, one of the artists who will stand the test of time as a major protagonist will, I am convinced, be George Fenech, who passed away last year.
A serene kind of art, introspective, quiet, expressive and rich in its colour
Fenech’s family has done much to commemorate his greatness, and was produced a lavishly illustrated book, written by Joseph Paul Cassar and Lino Borg.
Coinciding with the launch of this monumental publication were three exhibitions, the most prestigious, as one would expect, was held at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta.
What comes out in these exhibitions, happily, is Fenech’s multifaceted artistic oeuvre.
The Fine Arts exhibition was a retrospective one that was exhaustive and aided the visitor to understand the artist. It also highlighted his greatness. It moreover provided a great opportunity to see some of his finest works under one roof, and to appreciate his artistic legacy.
The exhibition filled the Fine Arts courtyard and the contemporary room. Divided into sections according to genre in the courtyard, and early works in the contemporary room, the exhibition was easy to comprehend.
Fenech’s is a serene kind of art, introspective, quiet, expressive and rich in its colour, more often than not utilising block colours. It is definitely an art that is easy to live with.
American author Tim Ferriss likes to say that we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with. If this can be translated to art, we become the sum of the five art works we spend the most time with. This is an interesting idea, because like people, works of art have a life of their own, and the ones we are attracted to most, reveal much about who we are.
Limiting my choice to five Fenech works is not easy. In spite of my fondness for his landscapes, I was overwhelmed by his early works in the contemporary room, namely, works produced in his Rome student days in the 1950s.
A 1958 Nude with Red Cloth stands out for the interesting choice of composition and the sfumato employed, but more so due to the elegance in the execution of the female figure who has extraordinary elongated features which Fenech accentuated to perfection.
Also in this section of early works is a large Deposition which Fenech started precociously in 1958, and only completed in 1980. This says a lot about the psyche of the artist in relation to the subject and composition. This is one of the great works of Maltese late 20th-century art – a virtual museum piece.
Contè drawings of nude females from this same early period reveal much about Fenech’s preponderance to depict statuesque figures in angular poses and outlines. This is also noticeable in a variety of other works, as well as in the nearby 1966 Self Portrait.
If more likenesses of the artist is what you wanted to see, three busts produced by Fenech’s peers were also present, this time in the courtyard. Edward Pirotta’s bust is one of the great works of this precociously talented sculptor who died so tragically young.
In the course of your progression in the courtyard, you were able to come to terms with a broader facet of the artist. Still lifes, genre scenes depicting several aspects of life in rural Malta, religious scenes, portraits and landscapes all feature in separate sections.
Among the landscapes exhibited, I would definitely highlight the 1980 Il-Blata f’San Niklaw, a landscape in which the artist’s sensitivity to colour emerges grandly, and in which one can find solace in its simple yet charming composition composed of vegetation, soil, rubble walls, rocks and the cliff face. So simple, yet so ethereal and so effective.
To further commemorate Fenech, the Mellieħa council has inaugurated a bust by his friend and fellow Rome student, Gianni Bonnici. It carries a dedicatory inscription by Mario Buhagiar.
In addition to the book, a website (www.georgefenech.com) has also been launched.
Another George Fenech exhibition is currently being held at the Ministry for Gozo exhibition hall in Victoria until next Sunday.