Two generations of Maltese artists will be exhibiting their work side by side in APS Bank’s second art exhibition Two Generations of Maltese Artistic Families in a three-year project.

The works of distinguished veteran artists George Fenech and Joseph L. Mallia will be exhibited alongside those of their children, Gilbert Fenech and Henriette Mallia.

The bank is also publishing the second book in the series which contains the four biographies of the artists, an analytical essay, and two other critical commentaries on their lives and works of the artists. Coupled with photos, self-portraits and, of course, the artists’ works, the book takes readers on a journey of discovery into the lives of the artists and their creations that already span almost a century.

Editor Dr Louis Laganà says of the artists and their work: “These four Maltese artists depict an optically perceived 'reality' and their work suggests a varied representation of Maltese identity expressed through the landscape, familiar objects and abstract imagery.” 

George Fenech studied at the Government School of Art and at the art academy in Rome. He is well known for his landscape paintings of the Maltese countryside and his chromatic values of colour light and atmosphere in painting. 

George’s influence upon his son, Gilbert, is evident in the artist’s stylistic representation of the Maltese landscape. Gilbert also explores other realms in painting like still-life, the nude and abstract works. 

While the softer hues Mellieħa countryside are noted protagonists in the Fenech’s work, the brighter shades of Isla and its environs feature in the works of the Mallias. Joseph L. Mallia studied art at the Government School of Art and in England. Over the years he moved from landscape painting to abstract art. He successfully created a style which mediates between the past, present and future.

Mallia's daughter Henriette comes with an artistic background enriched by industrial design and art teaching experience. Her artworks include landscape painting, stage set design, mural work and the use of different media from printing to wood and cardboard sculpture, and works in clay. 

The public is invited to view the exhibition from Saturday 17 October until Thursday 3 December, between 8.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Mondays to Fridays) and 8.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. (Saturdays). The complementing book, also edited by Dr Laganà, will be available from the APS Centre, Swatar and apsbank.trolleymania.com.