Two new artists are presenting their works in public for the very first time, with a collection of oil paintings created over the past few years. The artists, Massimo Dimech and Steve Sciberras both have a predilection for a common theme which focuses on the Maltese landscape and typical Mediterranean flora. Yet, they approach the theme with great individuality and in distinctly different manners.
Dimech's paintings are created with painstaking meticulousness and attention to minutia and detail. He hones in on the subject matter with intense focus, drawing the viewer's attention to aspects of the scene otherwise unnoticed, while eliminating that which he considers superfluous. His palette of colours verges on sobriety, delves in the shadowy light of secluded spaces and in the ambience of dimly lit days. Think north-facing spaces and you get the gist of the light in his paintings. The language of his works speaks of intimacy, quietness, serenity, introversion and stillness.
Sciberras tackles his paintings in a radically different way. His approach to detail is freer, more outspoken and evidently impulsive. His brushstrokes are energetic, voluptuous and immediate. The sense of immediacy is highlighted by his choice of palette - a colour scheme that communicates boldness, bursts of sunshine, radiance and vivacious spontaneity.
When viewing these two artists' works in tandem, I cannot but think of the outdoor spaces of the traditional Maltese townhouse. This kind of building typically has an internal courtyard where shade predominates, where there is a feeling of cool, colours are calm, internally blooming away from the searing heat. Then there is the back garden or back yard which is traditionally a space enjoying full sunshine, light and warmth. Dimech's works remind me of the internal courtyard and the character of the light and the flora flourishing within it. Sciberras' works remind me of the colours and warmth of a south-facing back garden.
Together these two artists have managed to encapsulate the diversity of our Mediterranean landscape and of the variegated flora which thrives on our islands. Unknowingly they have created a collection of works that speaks of our sunshine just as easily as it does of our overcast days. And even looking at the prickly pear, a subject they have both painted in fascinating detail, we manage to see their subjective take on this wildest of wild fruits adorning our country lanes. If we ever believe it was an ordinary prickly growth, we now have been led to look closer and note that what you see is probably different from what I or anybody else sees.
The juxtaposition created by their paintings sitting in such close proximity within the same space, allows us to appreciate the dynamic way in which artists are able to represent the same scene, using a different language of style, colour and technique. Most definitely, Dimech and Sciberras provide us with a visual experience that promises to grow significantly as their artistic prowess develops over time.
And even while Malta and Gozo are struggling with the ever-engulfing trend of building new edifices and going higher, with more brick and stone overcoming the space between land and sky, these two artists have still managed, as have so many before them, to capture that which remains of the fast disappearing character of our little islands in the Med.
Dimech and Sciberras have successfully and intentionally sought out sites which allow for painterly depiction, and by looking at their works, we can still appreciate that which future Maltese generations risk losing forever.
'Outset' - Joint art exhibition by Massimo Dimech and Steve Sciberras, and curated by Marika Azzopardi, is currently being held at the Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle, 219 Republic Street, Valletta. Opening times are Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm; Saturdays 9am to 1pm. The exhibition is open until 4 May.