Heritage Malta will re-commence its popular Heritage Trail series with a special event focusing exclusively on Guzeppi Cali (1846-1930).

Participants will get a glimpse of Cali’s prolific career by visiting highlights of his work around the island, including those in Sacro Cuor parish church and the Salesian Theatre in Sliema, and St Francis church and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta.

Giuseppe Calì was probably the most dominant figure on the Maltese art scene during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th, his influence felt mostly in the development of religious painting. His works are mainly notable for their solid draughtsmanship, superb handling of colour and capturing verismo, which enriched the theatrical compositions of his religious paintings, the dignified sitters for his portraits and the mood of his genre scenes.

Participants will be able to admire Cali’s technical bravura through his numerous altarpieces and vault paintings, such as St Peter and St Paul (1881), St Lawrence (1881) and St Jerome (1882) in Sacro Cuor parish church and The Apotheosis of St Francis of Assisi (1907) and the Death of St Francis (1907) in St Francis Church.

In addition, participants can take a closer look at some of his secular paintings at the National Museum of Fine Arts, among which is the very important Death of Dragut (1867). This was his first success – at the age of merely 21. The Virtues of Mankind (1908/9), an impressive central lunette painting at the Salesian Theatre, is another example of Calì’s artistic competence.

The Giuseppe Cali Heritage Trail will be held on Saturday, 11 November, starting at 9am and ending at 1pm. Tickets are available for Lm5 from Heritage Malta’s head office, tel: 2295 4312. Booking is essential, as only limited places are available.