The last in the series of cultural presentations for 2006 organised by Din l-Art Helwa is a

lecture by the well-known artist, Madeleine Gera, on Thursday.

Madeleine Gera will be giving an illustrated talk on the evolution of portrait painting from the early Renaissance and its development into the 20th century. She will be discussing the methods used by painters and artists who take reference from the work of earlier artists when developing their own in a dialogue across time.

The talk will also focus on the pursuit of naturalism in portraiture from the donor paintings of Masaccio to those of John Singer Sargent. It will include examples from national collections and the way in which naturalism impacted upon the Maltese portrait tradition.

Madeleine Gera studied painting and drawing with Joseph Briffa (RA), and has a BA in Philosophy from the Faculty of Theology. She was awarded a long term scholarship to study etching techniques at the Scuola International di Arte Grafica, il Bisonte, in Florence Italy and has taken part in several collective and personal exhibitions in Malta and overseas.

Since 2002 she has been spending her time travelling between Florence, Italy and Malta, studying portrait painting. Ms Gera is currently running her own painting studio in Valletta and is committed to teaching the painting methods she acquired from an atelier in Florence whose painting process dates back to the 19th century.

The lecture, which will be given in English at the Judge Caruana Curran Hall, 133 Melita Street, Valletta, – the offices of Din l-Art Helwa – will start at 6pm. Those wishing to attend are advised to be seated by 5.45pm. Admission is free of charge but donations to the organisation’s restoration projects will be much appreciated.