TWO GENERATIONS
OF MALTESE ARTISTIC FAMILIES
ART EXHIBITION
Friday 16 October – Thursday 3 December 2015
APS Bank Centre, Tower Street, Birkirkara
George & Gilbert Fenech
Joseph & Henriette Mallia
INTRODUCTION
The second art exhibition in the series of Two Generation of Maltese
Artistic Families is dedicated to two distinguished veteran artists of the
older generation, born respectively in the second and third decades of the
twentieth century, George Fenech and Joseph L. Mallia. The exhibition
includes the two other younger artists who are their children, Gilbert
Fenech and Henriette Mallia.
Like last year, APS Bank is also publishing the second book in the series
which is organised into three parts: the biographies of the four artists, a
psychoanalytic analysis essay, and two other critical essays on the life and
works of the artists.
George Fenech started his artistic training at the Government School
of Art before continuing his art studies in Rome. The artist kept
within the strict boundaries of traditional landscape painting which he
absorbed from his tutors in Malta and in Italy. George gave fundamental
importance to the chromatic values of colour, light, and atmosphere,
effectively creating a style of his own which no other local contemporary
landscape painter has surpassed.
Although Gilbert Fenech is highly influenced by his father’s stylistic
representation of the Maltese landscape, in his work one can see
a trait to move away from the initial stylistic influence of his father.
His paintings are more colourful and vibrant and they reflect a liberal
approach to painting. While his landscape paintings communicate a state
of calmness, at the same time the artist strives to reconcile the tensions
and conflicts within the self.
On the other hand, unlike George Fenech, Joseph Mallia moved from
the strictly realistic style of landscape painting to abstraction. After his
art studies in England, he successfully created a style which mediates
between past, present, and future. His abstract paintings are not just to
be considered as abstractions from nature but rather ‘processes’ derived
from psychic scenes which reflect an interior mental world.
THE ARTISTS
Mallia’s daughter, Henriette comes with an artistic baggage enriched
by industrial design and art-teaching experience. Her artworks include
painting, stage-set design, mural work, and using different media
ranging from printing to wood to cardboard sculpture to clay. In
Henriette’s oeuvre, we see recognisable imagery permeated with a kind of
transcendental and magical experience.
While it seems that there is a great contrast among the works of these
four artists, their response to nature and the immediate environment
has a common thread which provides a rich identity of the Maltese
islands within the context of civic history and heritage. The meaning and
interpretation of their works range from individual understandings to
a collective perception of the formal and conceptual problems that first
motivated the artists.
This art exhibition is another important key moment of the year which
celebrates the development of Maltese modern and contemporary art
and also a significant recognition of Maltese artistic families.
Dr Louis Laganà
Curator and Editor
GEORGE FENECH (1926–2011)
GILBERT FENECH (1979–)
George Fenech, who is mostly known for his unique landscape
paintings, was born on 3 January 1926 in Mellieħa to Philip Fenech
and Carmela née Sammut. His artistic life was spent searching for
the right spots from where to paint and produce magnificent scenes
of the Maltese countryside, mostly around his native village.
Gilbert Fenech is primarily a landscape painter who inherited the
stylistic qualities of his father George and continued to explore
the quieter images of nature. Like his father, Fenech works with a
remarkable accuracy and in his landscapes he ably renders the beauty
of the Maltese countryside with its lush or dry vegetation, trees,
terraced fields, rocks, limestone, and other overpowering features.
The artist was born in Mellieħa on 18 April 1979, the youngest twin
son of Doris and George Fenech. His twin brother, Conrad, is also
artistically inclined. In December 2013 Gilbert married Antoinette
Conti and they chose to live in his native village.
Fenech showed an interest in art at a very early age and, whenever
he found the chance, he would make pencil drawings of his mother
at work. Later at the age of 15 years, he painted the stage scenery for
the plays of a small theatrical company in his village. He started his
formal art education in 1948 at the Government School of Art and,
after eight years of rigorous training in drawing and painting, he won
a scholarship to continue his studies in Rome.
In Rome, Fenech followed the diploma art course at the Regia
Accademia di Belle Arti and he had also the opportunity to follow
other art courses in the Italian capital. After finishing his diploma
course in 1961, Fenech returned to Malta and was appointed art
master at St Joseph Secondary Technical School in Paola.
George Fenech was an active member of the Modern Art Circle
group, which was later renamed the Modern Art Group, and also of
the Atelier ’56. He participated in many collective art exhibitions
in Malta and abroad and had ten personal art shows in Malta and
Gozo.
Fenech’s paintings will remain noted for their tonal subtlety and
mysterious lyrical qualities, and he will be remembered as the artist
who painted the distinctive natural heritage and express the identity
of the islands. His works are found in many private collections in
Malta and abroad.
Fenech received his early formal art lessons from his father George
and spent most of his childhood at his father’s studio, regularly
accompanying him as George painted his landscapes on the spot.
He later continued his art studies at the Junior College and at the
University of Malta where he garduated B.Ed. (Hons.) in Design and
Technology.
Like his father, Fenech loves plein-air painting, focusing on the
major elements of land, water, sunlight, and sky, and exploring the
interaction among them. Stylistically Gilbert’s approach to still life
painting is the same as that in his landscape painting but he uses a
more vibrant palette, especially in his exploration of abstract motifs
and compositions. Abstract art is also another aspect of his oeuvre
which reveals his inner dialogues in response to the external world.
Fenech started his teaching career in 2001. He teaches design and
technology and graphical communication at San Andrea School.
The artist participates in many collective art exhibitions and holds
personal art shows in Malta and Gozo. His works are found in many
private collections locally and abroad.
Gilbert Fenech will remain an important artist who retained the
legacy of representing an environmental identity of Maltese life in
landscape painting.
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THE ARTISTS
JOSEPH L. MALLIA (1937–)
HENRIETTE MALLIA (1968–)
Joseph L. Mallia is an artist of the second generation of Maltese artists.
Born to Mary and Carmel on 11 January 1937 in Senglea, he is wellknown for his versatility and creativity in creating unique landscapes,
portraits, and abstract works.
Henriette Mallia followed in her father’s footsteps, first by observing
him in his studio and then by studying art under his guidance. She was
born in Carshalton in the London borough of Sutton on Saturday, 21
September 1968 to Joseph Lawrence Mallia and Mary Ann Boldarini.
Between 1963 and 1967, Mallia attended art lessons at the Government
School of Art in Valletta. He later won a scholarship to continue his
art studies for a year at the Bath Academy in Corsham. Back in Malta,
he spent another two years studying at the Government School of Art
(1964–66) where he obtained first place in the scholarship examination.
Before his departure to continue his art studies in England, Joseph
married Mary Boldarini on 15 September 1966. He first attended
the ground course for the diploma in Art and Design at the Ealing
School of Art in London (1966–67) and later concluded his studies at
Wimbledon School of Art in London. In Wimbledon, his wife Mary
gave birth to their daughter Henriette on 21 September 1968. This was a
time of joy for the couple.
In 1986, Henriette enrolled at the Art and Design Centre in Valletta
from where she obtained a diploma in design in 1990. In 1989 she had
been awarded an Italian government scholarship to study industrial
design in Rome, Florence, Milan, and Bologna as part of the Borsa di
Studio Amadeo Grütter.
On his return to Malta, Mallia continued his art teaching career which
he had started in 1964. He taught art at the Technical Institute in
Naxxar (1970–84), the Government School of Art (1977–96), and at
the Art and Design Centre, Valletta where he served as director until
1990. The artist was also head of the School of Art from 1991 to 1996
and Education Officer from 1995 to 1998.
Mallia has regularly experimented with different media and techniques
with very successful and intriguing results. He remains one of the most
versatile contemporary artists of the second generation of Maltese
artists. His unique paintings reveal the development of an artist who
moves from the figurative and the landscape to abstraction without
compromising his identity. He has participated in many collective art
exhibitions and has held seven one-man art shows. His works are found
in many private collections in Malta and abroad.
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GEORGE FENECH
This landscape is a typical scene found
in the area of Mellieħa which Fenech
painted several times from different
angles and locations. The farmhouses in
this part of the valley which leads to the
sea are important and distinctive features
of the panorama. The artist captured the
beauty of the atmospheric conditions of
the changing light. This is also reflected
in the built-up areas of the landscape with
contrasts of light and shadow, created
with rich vibrancy of the Mediterranean
colours.
George Fenech, Il-Bisqra, oil on canvas, 2005
Henriette’s art teaching career started in 1990 at the Immaculate
Conception High School in Tarxien; she later spent four years
teaching at the Maria Goretti Secondary School in Tarxien (1992–
96). In 1999 she started teaching art at Carlo Diacono / St Thomas
More College Junior Lyceum for Girls, Żejtun.
George Fenech repeatedly painted
San Niklaw Cliffs, a solitary massive
boulder, which epitomises his reparative
and productive way of seeing the
landscape. The artist figured the good
object that he imaginatively introjected
as the core of his ego. His preoccupation
with this motif is neither regression nor a
neurotic repetition but a means to reach
to the early foundations of the adult self.
Henriette married Simon Camilleri on 23 July 1995. They have two
sons, Thomas who is nineteen years old, and Harry, eleven. Besides
painting, producing designs, teaching, and taking part in events where
creativity occupies an important part, Henriette participates in the
college’s drama group. Since 2010 she has also formed part of the
school magazine team and is also the artistic director of Meander –
‘meandering around the school’s life’.
Henriette has participated in several collective art exhibitions and
her works include the representation of landscapes, stage designs, or
abstract paintings. The pleasure of contemplating Henriette Mallia’s
paintings come from the flurry in which time and colours roll up into
one. Her artistic expression is a lively alchemy and a precious source of
harmony between our imaginary world and reality.
George Fenech, San Niklaw Cliffs, oil on canvas, 1965
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GEORGE FENECH
GEORGE FENECH
Fenech’s strict command of painting and
his perfectionist approach to work can
be seen in his arrangements of objects
to create a painting. Unlike painting out
of doors, working in studio gave him
total control of how to select objects
and to look for balance, shape, colour,
and texture in the composition. The
expressive force behind this work is found
in the bold outlines around the objects
and emphasis on the shapes, and in his
selection of contrasting pigments.
Another early painting of George’s wife,
Doris, shows the characteristics of his
style which was still evolving during
this period. He depicted the seated
figure within a luminous atmosphere
by using bright colours like the model’s
dress, painted in vibrant orange and the
brilliance of the white pigment of the
crocheted afghan.
George Fenech, Still life with dry leafs, oil on canvas, 1975
George Fenech, Doris with Her Crocheted Afghan, oil on canvas, 1975
Stylistically, Fenech treated the human
body in the same manner like still lifes
and landscape paintings. In this study
of a seated nude, the artist created a
diaphanous setting with a limited palette,
executed with soft brush strokes and a
lustrous texture of the skin. In most of
his nude paintings, Fenech strived to
distil the essence of the human body
through the study of line and form.
Great emphasis was also made on the
relationship between colour and light.
His signature style of such images
demonstrate the artist’s great passion and
love of light.
George Fenech, Seated Nude, oil on canvas, 1958
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This is one of the many self-portraits the
artist produced throughout the years.
Fenech focused on creating a tranquil
atmosphere and an ominous feeling.
Yet, this pensive mood creates a peaceful
situation. Little emphasis is given to the
eyes; the deep eyes effaced by -shadow
and in the unconsciously turned-down
lips, there is a hint of the melancholy and
volatility of the visionary. It is a selfportrait which represents the passage of
time and experience of life.
George Fenech, Self-Portrait, oil on canvas, 1992
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GILBERT FENECH
GILBERT FENECH
Still life painting is also part of Fenech’s
oeuvre. Throughout art history, the theme
of the violin has always been explored by
many artists in their still life paintings.
Fenech is fascinated by the shape of the
instrument and in this work he also
successfully painted splendid details
of accompanying score sheets and the
chair where the objects were placed. The
violin, a vanitas still life object might also
symbolise the artist’s musical inclination
and a reminder of a pleasurable illusion.
Gilbert Fenech, Il-Vjolin, oil on canvas, 2011
The subject of farmers harvesting wheat
or other crops has been explored by many
artists in art history. Fenech here depicts
three local farmers working in fields. He
successfully fused together the study of
these figures with that of the landscape.
The softness of the figures’ clothing, straw
hats, thorough study of perspective, and
the challenging contrasts of the sky, hills,
and fields make it a fine painting.
Gilbert Fenech, Harvest, oil on canvas, 2013
In this landscape painting, Fenech has
captured an impressionist snapshot of one
of the place he frequented with his father
while on plein air painting. In this view,
the brush strokes are less prominently
executed with soft edges between colour
transitions. The natural light is given
close attention while shadows are boldly
painted to create contrasts between
the sparse vegetation and the trees. The
cloudy sky, distinctly painted against the
light cerulean blue sea, resonates a fleeting
sensation.
Fenech produced a number of highly
distinctive line drawings of nude figures
at his studio in Mellieħa. This seated
female nude figure is shown with one
hand under the chin and the other resting
on the knee. The artist captured the raw
moment of our daily life, interpreting a
situation which could suggest multiple
and basic human emotions.
Gilbert Fenech, Seated Figure, charcoal, 2014
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Gilbert Fenech, Għodwa l’Aħrax, oil on canvas, 2015
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GILBERT FENECH
JOSEPH L. MALLIA
Il-Wied (Valley) ta’ Ġnien Ingraw is
a beautiful scenic spot found before
reaching Mellieħa parish church. Both
Gilbert Fenech and his father George
explored this area several times and
painted captivating landscapes which
include the typical narrow passageways
leading down to the base of the cliffs. The
large rocks which make up an important
part of the ridge appear solemnly on top
of the fields with flanking rubble walls
which form a significant part of the
scenery.
Gilbert Fenech, Trejqa fi Ġnien Ingraw, oil on canvas, 2014
In this large painting, Joseph Mallia
depicted a graphical collection of Maltese
buildings, arches, flights of steps, an
old Maltese bus, and local wild plants.
Although the images are painted in
the hard-edge style, he has focused on
the mathematical and architectural
principles and successfully used the rules
of perspective to convey a realistic sense
of depth relative to the horizon line and
vanishing point in space.
Joseph Mallia, City, oil on canvas, 1973
This is perhaps one of Mallia’s best
realistic landscapes of this style in
painting. The artist captured the typical
local countryside scene which includes
a range of wild, flowering endemic plant
species, the garigue, the rocky surfaces,
the rubble walls, the shrubs, the trees, and
all that one could find in a Maltese valley
in Spring. The church in the background,
behind the top of the hill, is painted with
light blends of colour. Crisper contrasts
of paint appear on the foreground so to
provide a dramatic effect.
Although Fenech is a landscape painter,
in recent years he has explored the
possibility of creating imagery which
bears no reference to naturalistic entities.
In his abstract work, the artist still
uses the same device to build a certain
aesthetic quality, like colour, composition,
shape texture, and value. This work is
a good example which shows us how
Fenech intertwines the boundaries of
landscape painting and abstract imagery.
Gilbert Fenech, Birth of a Sea Dragon, acrylic on canvas, 2015
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Joseph Mallia, Landscape, oil on canvas, 1983
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JOSEPH L. MALLIA
JOSEPH L. MALLIA
Joseph Mallia’s abstract work is derived
from many sources. It is not just one
style but a blend of various techniques
employed by modernist painters of the
early 20th century. Stylistically, I find
that there is a derivation of constructivistfuturistic roots which express movement
and spatial depth and illusion. This
work also shows that the artist explored
all aspects of our environment: colour,
brightness, space, and motion.
Joseph Mallia, Abstract, acrylics, 2014
The primitivist and instinctual content
of Mallia’s abstract work is found in
the transformation and revival of a
multitude of symbols derived from the
unconscious. The artist creates an array of
archetypal imagery which are expressed in
biomorphic forms and are characterised
by various fragments of sharp-pointed
shapes, round-edged pieces, and other
universalised forms.
Joseph Mallia, Abstract, acrylics, 2015
This is another abstract painting in
the same style of other works in the
collection. In this painting, one can
notice two contrasting aspects of forms
and colours. There are solid shapes and
masses of colours colliding with more
atmospheric and fluidly bands of paint.
The emotion conveyed by the artist is
similar to that of the music coming from a
band which the title also suggests. Mallia
seeks to transform shapes and colour into
‘visible’ music.
Joseph Mallia, The Garden where the Brass Band plays, acrylics, 2013
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I consider Mallia as a leading abstract
painter on the local art scene. He is the
most analytical of all Maltese artists. In
his compositions, shapes, forms, colours,
and line areas are a synthesis of a symbolic
significance. During the process of
creating an abstract painting, the artist
may have specific intentions guided by
subconscious choices of images but the
final result is precise and controlled.
Joseph Mallia, Abstract, acrylics, 2015
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HENRIETTE C. MALLIA
HENRIETTE C. MALLIA
This abstract painting was created with
vibrant, colourful shapes to express a
visual representation of music. The artist
also used a real violin fixed in a vertical
position on the left-hand side of the
painting. It creates a sensation as if the
notes are transformed into colour which
also creates music to our vision.
Henriette Mallia, Simshar, acrylics on canvas, 2008
The inspiration for the theme of this
painting came as suggested by its title,
from the tragedy of the Simshar fishing
trawler in 2008. Although it is an abstract
painting, the artist expressed in colourful
bands of curved diagonal lines active
and full of energy, symbolising the waves
which seem to swallow whatever they
find.
Henriette Mallia, Subtle Notes, mixed media on board, 2007
Henriette is also an landscape painter.
In this painting she has captured the
essence of the Maltese landscape with its
terraced fields in miniscule, meandering
valleys and their low dry-stone rubble
walls struggling to prevent the sparse red
soil from being washed away into the
nearby sea. The bright and rich vibrant
blue colours of the sky, the sea, and
the greenery of land define the unique
features of the Mediterranean landscape.
The symbol of the cat has often been
used to represent the guardian of the
Otherworld. Cat symbolism is also equal
with creativity and psychic power because
of its unorthodox mysterious behaviour.
In this painting, Henriette also included
white flowers which also symbolise purity,
clarity, and healing.
Henriette Mallia, Scout, mixed media on board, 2013
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Henriette Mallia, 3rd Jan, acrylics on canvas, 2009
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HENRIETTE C. MALLIA
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Henriette Mallia, Bali, acrylics/print, 2015
Henriette derived her inspiration for this
painting from an ancient Balinese mask
and the country’s exotic scenes which
evoke multiple senses: smell, sight, sound
and taste. The canvas is highly textured
produced with colourful imagery of large
leaves and flowers, typical of this island
in the region of Indonesia. A series of
vertical prints, from an original stamp
from India, divides painting into two
parts. In this painting, the primitivistic
appeal lies on the expressive qualities of
the exotic objects.
Henriette Mallia, Chequered, mixed-media on board, 2009
This mixed-media work shows the
symbolic images of circles, spirals,
diamond-shaped structures, and
curvilinear lines reminiscent of female
curves. By these motifs, Henriette wanted
to create the elements of transformation,
perhaps the metaphorical symbols of the
‘goddess’ within. The spiritual appeal
lies precisely in the abstract part of the
painting.
€25
each
Two Generations of Maltese Artistic Families
Volume Two
Two Generations of Maltese Artistic Families
Volume One
George & Gilbert Fenech
Joseph & Henriette Mallia
Antoine & Antoine Paul Camilleri
Aldo & Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
Art books can be bought from APS Centre, Birkirkara or via apsbank.trolleymania.com
Tel: 2560 3221/2 – Web: www.apsbank.com.mt
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