ART | Portraits
“Portrait painting has been a passion of mine, an attempt to capture in a reassuring way a quiet piece of humanity. I chose to represent moments that feature in everyday common experiences, a meeting with the ordinary, my friends, my family members. In the end it was not about them, but my own statement of how I experience the world around me. In portrait painting I fix my attention on a simple pose, a glance, a smile, a silent gaze, and then let my feelings unfold as a genuine response to that particular encounter.”
Portrait in Red
Portrait in Red
Oil on Canvas
91 x 53 cm
Signed, 1981
“Portrait in Red is one of a series of portraits done in my early artistic career which have survived. During that time, I was interested in the thickness of paint and in being expressive using the palette knife. This was possibly a direct influence from my mentor Esprit Barthet (1919-1999). The portrait was based on a friend of mine from New Zealand and the painting was exhibited in Paris in 1982.”
Portrait of Esprit Barthet
Oil on Canvas
43 x 30 cm
Signed, 1980
“Portrait of Esprit Barthet records a time when I started to dilute oil paint and let it drip on the canvas following the law of gravity. I made it a point to stay in control of the technique, while still inviting accidental chance effects. I soon discovered that the drip allowed different shades of colour to blend, and this had the possibility to suggest water, decay, sorrow and suffering. The portrait is based on my main art teacher at the Malta School of Art, Esprit Barthet done from life. The work was executed at the evening art school which I attended between 1977-1981 which at the time was situated on the 4th floor of the then Polytechnic in Msida.”
Prayer
Oil on Canvas
81 x 60 cm
Signed, 1995
“Prayer is a portrait of a Kenyan old woman belonging to the Kikuyu tribe. Initially I made several drawings of the woman in pen and ink which today are in private collections. The painting was done afterwards based on the sketches, rendering it in monochrome. The painting forms part of a vast repertoire of portrait paintings based on my years of travel in Africa between 1982-1991.”
Worker with Helmet
Oil on Canvas
40 x 27 cm
Signed, 1980
“Worker with Helmet was an experimental painting from the time when I was diluting oil paint and allowing it to drip to create all kinds of textures. This painting developed by applying different layers of pigment on the portrait and allowing them to dry. At some point I started to scratch the layers of colour to reveal what is underneath. The effect brings to mind the dripping of paint, but when examined closely, the surface textures are different. I never repeated this technique of scratching and excavating my painting.”
Portrait of a Young Girl
Oil on canvas
40 x 22 cm
Unsigned, undated, c.1980