Nikki Petroni
When the Bauhaus was founded in Germany in 1919 exactly in the middle of the 1918-19 German Revolution, it instituted a revolution in the arts and crafts which completely dwarfed the governmental shift of the country. The Bauhaus' innovative rethinking of fine art principles, craft, industrial design, architecture, material study and radical theoretical methods of production still impress art and design students today. The return to the fundamental pediments of aesthetics and compulsion for experimentation with new and old technologies made the Bauhaus arguably the most successful and significant art school ever established. The closing of the Bauhaus in 1933 led to the establishment Black Mountain College in the US which is also renowned for its experimental approach.
The philosophical raison d'être of the Bauhaus was inextricably linked to its practical function. There would have been no Bauhaus were it not for the avant-garde theories which the faculty of thinkers were adamantly set on investigating in relation to their socio-cultural relevance.
Malta only instituted an art academy, the Malta Government School of Art, in the mid-1920s, and it was designed according to a conventional model, that which Gustave Courbet, the Impressionists and their followers had been rebelling against since the 1840s. The Malta art school was the antithesis to the Bauhaus despite the burgeoning industrialisation of the country. Art's link to industry was contemptuously frowned upon by Vincenzo Bonello, Giuseppe Calleja and other members of the Maltese art establishment. Interestingly, the late 19th century architect and philosopher Nicola Zammit actually supported the progressive, utilitarian turn in the arts.
In spite of is traditional structure, the Malta Government School of Art was instrumental to the formation of Maltese modern art. All the noteworthy artists attended the school and there they were duly trained with admirable vigour. The school was an essential creative environment for them to meet and discuss. Through their continuous interaction, which also took place in Rome where they attended the Regia Accademia di Belle Arti, these artists formed groups and societies with the collective aim of producing a new art divorced from the normative methods and aesthetics which they were taught. Their ideas were born from the energy of a transitory historical period, incited by the local and international socio-cultural context.
Recently various academics at the University of Malta have been seeking innovative ways of improving art education locally by introducing theoretical debates as well as practical classes which underline the socio-political relevance of art and the importance of engaging with contemporary philosophy. The Department of History of Art established an MA in Fine Arts course last academic year and a BA in History of Art with Fine Arts last October. The Head of Department Prof. Keith Sciberras described the courses as primarily aimed at challenging young artists "to think (more than anything else) and to research and develop their art through creative processes which combine workshop methods with aesthetic and philosophical issues."
Both courses were designed by Dr. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci with the intent of pushing students to think through the acquisition of knowledge of art history and theory. He argues that the system of mechanical reproduction, conceptualised by Walter Benjamin, has become the predominant system in art and design today, reducing art of its aura and ritualistic basis, in other words, of its individual creative and spiritual faculty.
In a journal article on contemporary art education published last year in the Malta Review of Educational Research, edited by Raphael Vella, Schembri Bonaci wrote; "The BA and MA (Fine Arts) programme offered by the History of Art Department at the University of Malta is attempting to gauge students within such parameters trying to bring back the ritual, or at least Benjamin's debate on the ritual. Particular tasks involving methodologies stemming from the most diverse philosophies and theories from previous and modern parameters play an important role, if not a determining one. At the same time students are expected to have, and to continue having, a strong relationship with the historical development of art, and of art theory throughout the ages."
What is strongly underlined throughout the lectures is that knowledge of art history and theory are to be assessed critically. Art cannot be constituted of mere formal copying and literal representations, which is why the programme involves the rigorous and repetitive study of subjects. These are points which may seem obvious but are those which students struggle with most when dealing with their work. The application of history and theory in practical tasks was the most intriguing feature of the course, according to the first group of upcoming MA Fine Arts graduates. One student, Leanne Lewis, said that throughout the course she "gained extensive knowledge on the theory and philosophy of art which helped me to better observe and reflect on the things happening around me conceptually and critically. This experience helped me to come up with in-depth thoughts and selections when creating an artwork."
Matthew Farrugia described the MA in Fine Arts programme as follows; "a course which focuses on critical as well as practical understandings of the principles and theories of art, making the course unique in its transitions from an academic point of view to an artistic one and vice versa."
Students were able to engage with a number of techniques of art production in workshops taught by various academics and contemporary artists, which exposed them to a diversity of artistic approaches and methodologies. This interaction between emerging artists and leading, experienced professionals established a fresh and creative working environment, with all the lecturers encouraging debate and individual research.
An art studio was set up at the Valletta University Campus but workshops and projects are held all over the island. The MA students were given a set of tasks requiring them to engage with their social and cultural environment. One of these was a project created in response to Austin Camilleri's Żieme in order to assess the effect that this work, one of the most important Maltese contemporary artworks, had on younger artists and their perception of art today. Camilleri's public sculpture raised several issues which were discussed in the public sphere which imbued the artwork significant and collective meaning, thus it should be considered as an important point of reference for conscientious Maltese artists. Another project which the students worked on involved the continuous study of Strait Street's spaces to deal with its forgotten, or marginalised, cultural history.
In addition to the academic programme, students were able to gain hands-on experience by assisting Maltese and foreign artists in installing and dismantling the artworks for the Mdina Biennale 2015-16. They also met with several foreign artists and academics who were invited by the Department of History of Art to discuss their research and art projects. Guests included Wally Caruana (former senior curator of the National Gallery of Art, Canberra and leading expert on Aboriginal art), John Vella (Head of Discipline, Tasmanian College of the Arts), Christian Jaccard, Denis Pondruel, Patrice Pantin, Vincent Côme, Bernard Cousinier (all established artists who work in France), Italian artist Ilaria Cuccagna and others.
All these aspects; practical work, history, theory, philosophy, socio-cultural engagement and interaction with professionals lead to the cultivation of thinking artists, which is the primary objective of the MA Fine Arts and the BA programmes. An important lesson which one may learn from schools like the Bauhaus is that creative education requires experimentation, knowledge and the practical application of ideas which emerge from both academic research and everyday experience. The next intake for the MA Fine Arts course will be next October and further information may be acquired from the Department of History of Art.