A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament, Oscar Wilde once said. And the saying can be applied to an exhibition, Deus Caritas Est, underway by Mary Rose Saliba at the Gozo Ministry Exhibition Hall.

There is no doubt that the painter has been inspired by the biblical theme, mainly that of Genesis, as she expresses the way how she perceived the various great acts of God spanning form the very early moments of creation to Christ who is about to disappear as the disciples of Emmaus become aware of his identity.

The colours, the shapes, light, and absence thereof, point to the artist herself who demonstrates in her paintings her soul and her spirit. Nothing is hidden from the viewer, nothing is given in halves – what you see is what you get.

This is how art should always be; the expression of what the artist is experiencing, of what he or she is going through. Since faith plays such an in important aspect in the life of she who paints, these paintings reflect the inner being of the artist.

Saliba decided or rather let herself be inspired by the biblical narration of Creation and she shows us how she envisages the particular but timeless ‘moments’ in which God created the heavens, the earth and the seas while pulling the curtain that divides light from darkness.

As she paints, she becomes one with the colours she chooses and she brings forward her own message: even as Jesus suffers and dies, life remains the beautiful gift freely given to be lived and enjoyed by one and all.