Our new exhibition at il-Kamra ta' Fuq comes with quite a poetic title, "The tree is saying things, in words before words" and it is by one of the most established artists in Malta who doesn't need much introduction, Catherine Cavallo.
In fact, earlier this year, the artist celebrated her 40 years of artistic activity with a retrospective exhibition - a spectacle both in the chosen works and the exhibition presentation - along with the launch of the publication marking this exceptional feat.
But here's a quick background note about our artist:
Catherine Cavallo is a contemporary painter who lives and works in Malta. A fully trained artist, she obtained a 1st Class Hons Dip. (City & Guilds - London School of Art). She has found inspiration both in the UK, where she honed her figurative skills, and then in Italy, where her love for landscapes was born, before returning home to Malta where her studio is based in St. Paul's Bay.
One fine morning some months ago, I drove to Xemxija to visit Catherine's studio. She had a pile of artworks ready for me to choose from. I was speechless and stunned by the first one on top. She said, "Oh Mel I am so worried, it is all downhill after that one" ... Believe me, it was not. The works were all so impressive, one better than the other. My only worry was how and what to choose. We started chatting about the theme. Nature, trees, foliage and the intertwined bodies within this majestic vegetation. The human figures are all nudes, all in their natural essence.
The inspiration came some 1.5 years ago when during the semi-lockdown, Catherine started reading the bestseller book The Overstory, by Richard Powers. I admit I had not yet read the book. I had the book at home, and it was positioned quite at the top of my 'To Be Read' List, but for some reason or other, I kept postponing. Needless to say, that as soon as I arrived home, I found the book, contacted my reading buddy and book club partner, Pauline Agius Farrugia and we both started reading through it. Hopefully it will be the next book to be discussed in our Book Club.
Catherine still didn't have a title for the exhibition, and I promised I would send some suggestions. After reading the first two pages of the book, there it was in front of my eyes, one of the most beautiful sentences ever. "The tree is saying things, in words before words" became the perfect title. The book recounts a number of short stories of different characters from different strata of life who all have some experience, even unexpected and strange ones, with trees. Catherine portrays all of this in beautiful compositions of interwoven nudes within tree branches and fruits.
During this time, the artist experienced two episodes related to gardens and trees. The first one was of a sad heartbreak when she had the last chance to portray a cherished family garden before having to let it go. However, one door closes, and another (to another garden) opens... where she had the beautiful opportunity to start depicting trees in a friend's garden and enhance further her motivation and inspiration.
I think it is interesting and important to point out other exhibitions that were presented this year which also tackled the theme of nature, trees and plants.
One must keep in mind that the works for the exhibitions that we are enjoying this year, are mostly inspired from the ongoings of the past couple of years, where we were all facing a new way of life due to the pandemic. Many of us returned to quiet walks in the countryside or surrounded themselves with plants at home and found the time to stop and explore the nature around us. To mention a few that I curated, earlier this year we had the exhibition Friends with Plants by Ryan Falzon, who explored the comfort of being surrounded with plants in our homes. Another exhibition that took place at the same time, was titled The Rainforest by Tina Mifsud, curated by Andrew Borg Wirth, where the audience was transported away into the Costa Rican Forest.
Other artists explored a world where nature takes over. This was the case in Ecotopias by Roderick Camilleri, where the human figure was kept out of these idyllic and imaginary landscapes where the trees are dominant. Another collective exhibition that I curated, Thread also delved on the topic of foliage, leaves and the organic and eliminated the human figure, especially in the works of Bernice Vassallo and Stefan Spiteri.
Catherine Cavallo, in this exhibition, is merging the human figure to nature in these almost poetic compositions and soft colour hues. She is not only intertwining the human figure and trees through the composition, but she is also making the subjects become one through the palette employed. One can almost divide the main artworks into two colour schemes. Some works are related to the Orange Tree in their colour scheme as one can observe in 2 Women in Orange Tree and Bowing Redhead, while the others are 'connected' to the Almond Blossom colour scheme, as we can see in Upside-down woman, Upside-down man, and Pink Dancing Nudes amongst others. The artworks are executed in different media. The four 'oils on canvas' are executed in Cavallo's most renowned signature style of using the palette-knife. Other works are combining charcoal and oils, others are in acrylic and some sketches of nudes are in ink.
We also have a surprise for our visitors. While working on the body of works for this exhibition, Catherine Cavallo started experimenting and delving more into abstract. And we are proud to be the first to showcase this next step for this versatile artist. These works can be viewed in our little yard at il-Kamra ta' Fuq. They are untitled and the artist is looking forward to seeing the visitor's reactions to her latest venture. I find this all very exciting, to see such an established artist who has been in the art scene for over 40 years and who is so keen to move out of her comfort zone - the figurative and the landscapes - and keep on experimenting and searching for new emotions to be shared with her followers.
Everything is tied up together in what can be perceived as a stylistic journey, through a number of small-scale nudes executed in an outline manner and placed on an abstract background. All in all, this exhibition is a tour-de-force of what Catherine Cavallo's art is all about. I feel this exhibition gives us a little outlet and opportunity of a halt from the exhausting and strenuous life to the return to nature and to the appreciation of intimate moments.
The exhibition is being held at il-Kamra ta' Fuq in Mqabba, between the 9th of December till the 8th of January 2023.