In the coming weeks Caraffa Stores in Cottonera will once again open their doors to the public to host an exhibition of paintings by Carmelo Mangion. This will also serve as the venue for the launch of an accompanying publication entitled Carmelo Mangion – His Life and Works 1905 – 1997.

This long planned exhibition of paintings and publication will serve the purpose of exposing Mangion’s works to the Maltese public as for the most part, his output is a revelation to many. Carmelo Mangion’s incredible disinclination for publicly affirming his artistic vision had, of necessity, led to minimal exposure and little public acclaim. A pioneering artist who was not prepared to subscribe to art forms prevalent in his time, he preferred to surrender the appreciation of the public rather than to have to conform. This non-conformity and introversion compelled him to the confines of his studio, out of the spotlight of success and recognition. There he worked relentlessly in silence and for himself.

Now a decade after his demise, the need is strongly felt to give homage to this prolific artist and to attest to his artistic qualities. It is with this in mind that this exhibition and publication have been planned.

The collection of artistic works consists of 45 pieces in various media, namely gouache, water-colour, oil and a limited number of etchings. To the extent that Mangion’s repertoire is vast and varied, it is a collection which strives to present works from his differing themes and topics and also exposes his dynamically changing style and choice of subject over the years.

Featuring predominantly are a number of landscapes and seascapes which are in no way the customary nostalgic visions of the Maltese environment. Rather Mangion focuses on an invasion of new elements of urbanisation and progress into the aging fabric of the environment. Other genres from his vast corpus of works are still-lifes, portraits, historical paintings and abstract compositions. Decidedly, Mangion’s religious paintings are among the most poetically charged and show a deep and personal sense of spirituality.

Such a collection would not be complete without the inclusion of a number of works from his printed oeuvre, that is, his etchings.

The opening of this exhibition will be accompanied by the launching of the book on the life and works of the artist. This lavishly illustrated publication written by Joseph Paul Cassar, documents the vast majority of Carmelo Mangion’s artistic output, and provides a critique of the works. It is a hard-bound publication with over 400 pages in full colour printed on fine quality art paper. This publication will also be available at Caraffa Stores and from all leading bookshops and stationers.

The exhibition runs from 8 – 24 February and works may be viewed between 10am to 1pm and between 4pm and 7pm.