Katya Borg writes:
Last Sunday, Emanuel Fiorentino - or Fiorentino as he was known to all of us art lovers, passed away. This is a loss to the local art scene that one cannot describe in fancy words, running the risk of understating the loss of a man who, over the past three decades, has helped shape local art appreciation in Malta.

Fiorentino's achievements and contributions were plentiful and remarkable, and while documenting these would make an impressive list, I have decided to head down a different road. In order to celebrate this man's life, I have decided to interview Fiorentino's past work colleagues and artists with whom he collaborated, who more than gladly provided me with a thought or two.

Apart from being the popular and regular 'art critic' on printed local media, Fiorentino was primarily an educator within the realm of art and design. So it would be fascinating for the uninitiated to learn that he originally studied medicine. It was while reading towards his qualification as a medical doctor that Fiorentino took to art. He was more inclined to read about anatomy in history of art studies. Such love for art, though, had already been nurtured from an earlier age, since his mother and two other relatives used to paint regularly. All of this eventually led to a change of heart and career, and I am sure that all who follow local art gladly thank God for that.

Fiorentino started teaching at the Art and Design Centre in Valletta in the mid-eighties. It was here that he realised that teaching in such an environment was what he really wanted to do. Here he met Donald Friggieri, an old school companion. Friggieri, director at the MCAST Art and Design Institute, easily describes Fiorentino as being modest, magnanimous, and very knowledgeable. At this centre, Fiorentino used to teach Art and Design appreciation to students between the age of 16 and 21. Friggieri also points out how well Fiorentino took to teaching his subject by meticulously researching and preparing lessons on the subject. He recalls how Fiorentino was constantly looking to expand his knowledge.

There was more to Fiorentino than the knowledgeable teacher and rigorous researcher. Fiorentino was a very pleasant character - this one can easily gather from his writings and publications. Another endearing quality was his tender love towards animals. With a smile Friggieri relates how Fiorentino used to feed the pigeons populating the old Art and Design building in Valletta.

This love and acute sensitivity towards animals was immediately pointed out by another work colleague and friend, Patrick Galea, deputy director MCAST Art and Design, who recounts the episode of the death of Fiorentino's pet dog. This sad incident had affected him greatly.

Galea looks at Fiorentino more as a friend than a work colleague. The friendship flourished as they used to share common art-related interests. Together they visited local art exhibitions and auctions. Galea relates that it was not only his knowledge that made him the great and beloved teacher he was, but also his unquenchable enthusiasm and constant involvement in the art scene. Fiorentino instilled this love for art by taking students to local exhibitions and providing them with the opportunity to meet the artists.

Fiorentino nurtured his love for visual art. He was obsessed with History of Art. Galea describes him as being very kind and scholarly, displaying a hint of pleasant eccentricity.

Yes, Fiorentino was an intellectual person. This opinion is shared by local artist Alfred Chircop who describes Fiorentino as an erudite man, and a very generous and kind one at that. Chircop was a close friend of this man whose knowledge, the former maintains, intrigued and fascinated him. He happily divulges one particular occasion when the two of them visited the Basilica of Ravenna in Italy together. Here Chircop was amazed by Fiorentino's eloquence, which he describes as if it were flowing beautifully out of a book.

Local artist and fellow teacher Alfred Camilleri refers to Fiorentino as a pleasant colleague, a respectful art critic and a sincere friend, who offered timely, fine, humorous remarks and often laughed heartily at his own jokes. He was always ready to discuss Camilleri's work notwithstanding his ill health.

Since 1999, Fiorentino's name has also been associated with one of the main regular local art events sponsored by Bank of Valletta. Fiorentino was involved in a series of retrospective exhibitions organised twice a year, where he collaborated as a curator and took to documenting the respective catalogues. These catalogues are today considered as collectors' items.

Four artists who participated in the above project, namely Pawl Carbonaro (2002), Harry Alden (2003), Alfred Chircop (2003), and Luciano Micallef (2006), were contacted to give their own views. They all share the same opinion that Fiorentino was excellent at collecting and skillfully documenting past information and historical photos. The words meticulous and exceptionally organised sum it up.

As I have already stated, this is in no way an attempt to write a eulogy, but in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday's events, it is simply a tentative on-the-spot portrayal drawn from the opinions of those who have worked closely with Fiorentino. I therefore thank all of the above for their sincere contribution.