Just ere six months ago, the Contemporary Hall at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta hosted an exhibition of figure-studies titled Bodies, by three young Maltese artists. Jesmond Vassallo, who was one of these three collaborating artists, has returned to exhibit in the same venue, this time pairing up with Italian artist Francesco Astiaso Garcia. However, instead of the writhing, contorted and often vaguely erotic bodies captured in a variety of stances in the process of a movement or action, we are confronted by stares and pairs of eyes coming from a "group" of anonymous, distorted and anguished faces.
This exhibition is titled Visage and is solely an exhibition of faces ‒ portraits and self-portraits also feature to a certain extent, yet these do not play a dominant role in the show.
With an exhibition such as this that is the collaboration or partnership of two artists coming from separate backgrounds, there is the grave risk of one artist outshining the other - which I feel is the case in point with this exhibition. This however, nowhere near implies that one is better than the other; rather that coupled side by side, these two artists' works are somewhat mismatched.
Mr Vassallo presents his faces to the viewer in a variety of techniques and materials, namely drawings, oils, etchings and sculptures, while Mr Garcia almost exclusively presents paintings, with the exception of a single piece which is a photo-montage, but which nevertheless still bears the juxtaposition of one of his self-portraits in a drawing. Thus, there is the immediate contrast and imbalance of painting versus sketch or study.
Mr Vassallo has a very defined and distinct style primarily resulting from a confident, expressive and at times nervous line. His works instil in the viewer an overall fleeting sensation mixed with a feeling of immediacy which I can only compare to that felt when faced with the paintings of the late Olaug Vethal. His works might appear to be transitory quick studies of something greater yet-to-come. They are nevertheless more than acceptable as exhibition pieces, especially when considering that they are simply vessels through which viewers interpret the multifarious aspects preoccupying this artist together with a need to externalise and materialise the study of oneself through the identification and projection of the self onto others.
Mr Vassallo's works are moreover, carefully construed and composed, yet they seem effortless, and whatever the technique or medium used, there is hardly any doubt that the works were produced by the same hand ‒ even when his faces are denoted through the sole use of ink-spots, seemingly random blotches of paint and bleeding pigments. Despite his training in figure drawing, which is quite Italianate and at times betrays vague traces of traditionalism, he is nevertheless more than capable of breaking down a figure or a face in this case and representing it with only a handful of lines or brushstrokes. I refer particularly to the series depicting Antoine Camilleri - anyone who knew the artist or recalls pictures of him will undoubtedly make the connection.
On the other hand, Mr Garcia's paintings are subtle and have a somewhat delicate, fragile quality about them. Perhaps it is the way in which he views and "reads" both himself and his "sitters". This frailty is not, however, a quality related to the technique, rendering or depiction of his faces, rather towards the prevalence of light and pastel colours, used together with a particular faintness of line. Not only are his lines faint, he also seems to use the sfumato technique on several occasions, which is at times coupled with a particular transparent and matt quality probably resulting from the application of wax to his surfaces.
Mr Garcia's style in the majority of the works presented in this exhibition evoke intrigue, and invite the viewer to their vicinity, so much so, that one almost engages in a physically intimate encounter with each work in order to appreciate them in their entirety. Up-close his paintings reveal great labour and painstaking exactitude, down to each scratch and line. He too possesses great strength and precision of line ‒ assets which he however uses to a very different extent to that of Mr Vassallo - in fact his faces would verge onto the photorealistic were it not for the expressionistic thick brushstrokes covering portions of his surfaces, together with the blurriness of lines and contours which in certain works assume an almost glowing aura of spirituality.
Whether intended or not, however, this exhibition is successful in giving the viewer the sensation of one under observation. For a good while I could not shake off the feeling of being summed-up and assessed, even though the faces of my "judges" transpired a multitude of emotions and often bore very youthful features.
The first time I viewed the works on display, the exhibition had not yet opened, neither had any captions been affixed to the panels. This gave me the opportunity to study the works and absorb their meaning without the hindrance of explanatory notes, pre-determined conceptions or the presence of other visitors to deflect my concentration. I could thoroughly focus on the works themselves, and let thoughts and sensations flow without the gnawing urge of wanting to look at the caption to verify whether my immediate sensation was indeed correct.
After viewing the exhibition for the third time, I am left to ponder...what is next in store for these artists? Will they continue to celebrate the human figure through their work, or deviate from the subject completely? With technique and ability such as theirs, I can only look forward to ventures yet to come.
The exhibition runs at the Fine Arts Museum until May 4.
This exhibition is titled Visage and is solely an exhibition of faces ‒ portraits and self-portraits also feature to a certain extent, yet these do not play a dominant role in the show.
With an exhibition such as this that is the collaboration or partnership of two artists coming from separate backgrounds, there is the grave risk of one artist outshining the other - which I feel is the case in point with this exhibition. This however, nowhere near implies that one is better than the other; rather that coupled side by side, these two artists' works are somewhat mismatched.
Mr Vassallo presents his faces to the viewer in a variety of techniques and materials, namely drawings, oils, etchings and sculptures, while Mr Garcia almost exclusively presents paintings, with the exception of a single piece which is a photo-montage, but which nevertheless still bears the juxtaposition of one of his self-portraits in a drawing. Thus, there is the immediate contrast and imbalance of painting versus sketch or study.
Mr Vassallo has a very defined and distinct style primarily resulting from a confident, expressive and at times nervous line. His works instil in the viewer an overall fleeting sensation mixed with a feeling of immediacy which I can only compare to that felt when faced with the paintings of the late Olaug Vethal. His works might appear to be transitory quick studies of something greater yet-to-come. They are nevertheless more than acceptable as exhibition pieces, especially when considering that they are simply vessels through which viewers interpret the multifarious aspects preoccupying this artist together with a need to externalise and materialise the study of oneself through the identification and projection of the self onto others.
Mr Vassallo's works are moreover, carefully construed and composed, yet they seem effortless, and whatever the technique or medium used, there is hardly any doubt that the works were produced by the same hand ‒ even when his faces are denoted through the sole use of ink-spots, seemingly random blotches of paint and bleeding pigments. Despite his training in figure drawing, which is quite Italianate and at times betrays vague traces of traditionalism, he is nevertheless more than capable of breaking down a figure or a face in this case and representing it with only a handful of lines or brushstrokes. I refer particularly to the series depicting Antoine Camilleri - anyone who knew the artist or recalls pictures of him will undoubtedly make the connection.
On the other hand, Mr Garcia's paintings are subtle and have a somewhat delicate, fragile quality about them. Perhaps it is the way in which he views and "reads" both himself and his "sitters". This frailty is not, however, a quality related to the technique, rendering or depiction of his faces, rather towards the prevalence of light and pastel colours, used together with a particular faintness of line. Not only are his lines faint, he also seems to use the sfumato technique on several occasions, which is at times coupled with a particular transparent and matt quality probably resulting from the application of wax to his surfaces.
Mr Garcia's style in the majority of the works presented in this exhibition evoke intrigue, and invite the viewer to their vicinity, so much so, that one almost engages in a physically intimate encounter with each work in order to appreciate them in their entirety. Up-close his paintings reveal great labour and painstaking exactitude, down to each scratch and line. He too possesses great strength and precision of line ‒ assets which he however uses to a very different extent to that of Mr Vassallo - in fact his faces would verge onto the photorealistic were it not for the expressionistic thick brushstrokes covering portions of his surfaces, together with the blurriness of lines and contours which in certain works assume an almost glowing aura of spirituality.
Whether intended or not, however, this exhibition is successful in giving the viewer the sensation of one under observation. For a good while I could not shake off the feeling of being summed-up and assessed, even though the faces of my "judges" transpired a multitude of emotions and often bore very youthful features.
The first time I viewed the works on display, the exhibition had not yet opened, neither had any captions been affixed to the panels. This gave me the opportunity to study the works and absorb their meaning without the hindrance of explanatory notes, pre-determined conceptions or the presence of other visitors to deflect my concentration. I could thoroughly focus on the works themselves, and let thoughts and sensations flow without the gnawing urge of wanting to look at the caption to verify whether my immediate sensation was indeed correct.
After viewing the exhibition for the third time, I am left to ponder...what is next in store for these artists? Will they continue to celebrate the human figure through their work, or deviate from the subject completely? With technique and ability such as theirs, I can only look forward to ventures yet to come.
The exhibition runs at the Fine Arts Museum until May 4.