Watching Willie Apap at work in the 1950s, an art commentator wrote that light and colour seemed to enter the artist’s eyes, mix with his soul and then flow out again in an original synthesis to suit the purpose of the composition.

The Clown and Ballerinas  Oil on board Signed, dated 1965

Indeed, some of Mr Apap’s subjects are a reflection of his soul, according to Maria Cassar, guest curator of the exhibition Willie Apap: Revelations at the Victor Pasmore Gallery in Valletta.

The exhibition focuses on the artist’s late mature period, the 1960s, the last decade before his death in 1970, when his keen interest in the human figure, form and colour palette began to experience a transformation.

“This was the period when his art had risen to new heights, distilled from the various influences he had absorbed over the years in the Roman artistic environment where he lived and worked,” Ms Cassar, who wrote her Master’s thesis on the subject, notes.

The figurative works manifest his “expressive technique” of the strisce, the vertical columns of paint that give light and drama to his works and, especially, his concern with the human condition. Ms Cassar says that through such works he delivered “a certain purification and spirituality that was even stronger than his sacred works”.

The Musing Ballerina Oil on canvas Signed, dated 1965

“His figures became increasingly faceless and anonymous, he instilled them with pathos and emotion while delivering their colours and backgrounds. He sought to imbue them with a soul and spirituality, presenting them at their most basic… nude, undressing,” she says.

“Take The Musing Ballerina,” she continues, referring to one of the 18 artworks on display.

“She is seated on her own, forlorn, devoid of spirit and looks troubled. It is a striking, sober painting reflecting the seated dancer’s mood and looks deep into the human condition – a bit like the artist himself, his carefree bella vita character cloaking a lonely inner self.”

She comments on other paintings.

“The despondency of The Clown and Ballerinas (in the background) becomes almost spiritual while the Brazilian figures, invariably in pen and ink, look straight and deep into the viewer. And the nudity of the female models is neither provocative nor offensive – Apap presents them without a face or eyeless, protecting their modesty… He does not want the viewer to gaze into their look but into their soul…

Brazilian Figure  Pen and ink on paper Signed, dated 1964

“Apap had this extraordinary ability of depicting simple figures in their barest essentials but, through projecting their inner being, he revealed the complexity of existence.”

Only one exhibit does not belong to this specific period: Female Figure Reading a Book, signed and dated 1945.

“This work, which shows masterful draughtsmanship coming shortly after his graduation from the Regia Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, presents the right dose of contrast with his later mature style,” Ms Cassar remarks.

The first part of the exhibition is a text-based walkthrough in a new section of the Central Bank of Malta Annexe, featuring a continuous screen-based presentation, narrating Apap’s artistic journey and his mounting concern on the human psyche and spirit.

The text is accompanied by blow-up photos from different periods of the artist’s life, many of which are being displayed for the first time.

The Descent from the Cross Oil on canvas Signed, dated 1964

“It is an innovative, professional walkthrough that runs from his early days as a student at the Malta Government School of Art to his late years in the Italian artistic scene,” says Ms Cassar.

The 15 oils and three pen and inks come from private collections based in Malta. However, some of them were acquired from overseas collections. Of note is that this exhibition is only the third, personal one of Apap being held in Malta and the second one in 80 years. He had last exhibited in Malta as a teenager in 1937, before leaving to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. Then, 14 years after his death, a second one followed − a retrospective at the Mdina Cathedral Museum in 1984.

“So this exhibition is a fitting tribute to a pillar of 20th-century Maltese art on the centenary anniversary of his death. He was an artist with an exceptional understanding of the human figure but still in transition, accelerating with bursts of brilliance and taking his art to higher levels,” reflects Ms Cassar.

Female Figure with Bottles Oil on canvas Signed, dated 1966

“Apap was already belonging to an international milieu that had long grown his native land, earning himself a place as one of Malta’s leading exponents of 20th century art, although his untimely death cut short the best that was probably still to come.”

The exhibition is the fruit of Ms Cassar’s MA research, carried out with the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta, under the tutorship of Giuseppi Schembri Bonaci. Revelations is supported by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, the Central Bank of Malta and the Victor Pasmore Foundation. The exhibition runs at the Victor Pasmore Gallery until November 30. It is open from Monday to Friday from 11am to 3pm and on Thursdays from 11am to 8pm. Admission is free.