Art -– Dr.Caruana--- Contextual studies.

- I have visited a variety of exhibitions throughout this semester, mainly because I always used to and now I had a reason to explore further therefore understand works of art and just appreciate their beauty.

- One of the exhibitions I attended had no name, it was held in this restaurant in Mdina. Works of art done by Paul Caruana.

Figure 1 : ''Bus ride'' - Paul Caruana .

In this painting we have exposed a very colourful composition that's been done in a cubist manner with a touch of Maltese culture because of its original mixture of colours that can be found on the Maltese boats (luzzu) and the eyes that have been attached on them as well resemble a lot of our tradition . The work of art itself had a very poor sense of perspective and it seems that its almost 2 D.

It is made out of rough brush strokes and jagged organic lines although they create a subtitle smooth and even glossy texture.

The relation between highlights and shades is even in this artwork and they are carefully blended in with the pleasing mixture of warm and cold colours.

So for this painting I mainly focused on the technique and the watercolor effect, as I really enjoy painting using watercolors I chose these painting as reference.

These first paintings depict human nature and a look at everyday life. The technique is stunning, different from Paul Caruana’s work as his are more graphically drawn. So these are more realistic in a way. Still I appreciate the beauty and yet detailed simplicity of these paintings.

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Another exhibition which I attended on the 27th of November Was Antoine Camilleri’s at Saint James cavalier. I chose this specific work of art he did.

Figure 2 Antoine Camilleri 'In-Nannu'

The first image is a monochrome representation of a family tree of some kind and it shows us a feel of hierarchy, Dull colours have been used such as different hues and tones of browns in relation with black and white pictures, the brown background makes the bright images of people stand out therefore they emphasize The cracks on the background give this composition a rough and uneven texture along with a feel of an old fashioned collage perhaps. Geometrical lines shapes and forms are dominant and curvilinear ones are less visible. Done using cry slabs of clay and a resin.

This Particular work of art reminds of family; throughout my research on many artists I was deeply interested in Pablo Picasso and his style. I came across this painting of his , which also portrays family.

Figure 3 : Pablo Picasso '' La famillia Soler'' 1903

Although this painting was done using a lot more color than Antoine camilleri’s work of art, it still gives out a sense of unity, family and attachment. Family soler looks like their having a picnic in the woods.

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-Another exhibition I attended was ‘ Meta rxoxta t-teatru’ which featured a variety of artists.

Figure 4 : ''Breaking Through'' Patricia Sant

This painting is done in acrylics on canvas, it consists of a harmonious mixture of warm and cold colors emphasized by an accurate sense of symmetry. It is made out of an even amount of geometrical and organic features such as a vast number or curvilinear strokes along with repetitive patterns. Having a focal point concentrated at the center of the composition luring the viewers’ attention at the brightest spot of the artwork.

- This painting reminds me of another work of art I found a while back when I was flipping through this guy allen’s Blog.

Figure 5 : Done by Allen himself , No specified painting name.

The colors used in this piece made me speechless because it is as if i'm looking into a colorful black hole. Every color used gives off a circular vibe and if you stare at the piece long enough you might see the circular colors moving. I can notice a sense of depth in this particular painting

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Second work of art I chose from the ‘ Meta rxoxta t-teatru’ exhibition was this painting .

Figure 6 : ‘’Tifsila ta mohh waqt gurnata xoghol’’- Joe Cassar.

This Painted has been created in a much more modern way, making use of a vaster range of colours and hues, having common and usual features as subject matter. It is created with watercolours and the work itself could be interpreted as an illustration due to the fact that it contains vivid colours, bold outlines and built up on a cartoonish concept. It has a proper sense of perspective and it creates a three dimensional feel. Original textures have been implied by the artists and it has a slight sense of reality.

This Painting reminds me of Pablo Picasso’s paintings, amongst other cubist works of art done by the same artist. There is a definite indication of influence, in regards of both style and solid color selection.

Figure 7: Pablo Picasso ''Buste de femme'' 1940

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This work of art is an impressionist interpretation of a Young boy, perhaps a girl; it induces a neutral feel due to the fact that the facial expression can't be associated with a known emotion. The focal element is the center character of the painting that in fact has the Warmest colours surrounded by a dull yellowish light is, therefore it creates a strong sense of emphasis .The artist has also used mixed media applying a cotton cloth on the painting creating some realistic textures along with the smooth skin texture and a rough stone texture as well. The background itself also creates a sense of pattern and repetition with the help of bold, geometric and much more detailed organic lines.

When I look at this painting it the word boy and war comes to my mind, so I immediately remembered of this cool street art which I have found online a little time ago. Done by Banksy.

Figure 8: Street art done by Banksy.

Banksy is a street artist, his amazing skill is very authentic. He chose the theme of war for this particular work of art. No introduction and or text needed for his art to be understood. He picks on present world politics and war and particularly injustice. His audience is anyone who happens to stop and wonder, with a sense of reality. Banksy is an alias as his real name and identity is unknown. He’s infamous.

In this work of art he used stencils which were prepared from a time before; we can see a soldier kneeling down and a small boy putting a daisy flower in the barrel of his weapon. This gives us a sense of trouble, at war. A time where the boy only wants peace and quiet and for the wars to be over. The chosen location is a wall, what’s particular is the Arabic text behind his work, almost a hint of where his imaginative ‘story’ takes place.

This concludes my required blog posts for art. I have attended some exhibitions. I had difficulty in the references section as this was the very first time I worked using referencing. Overall it was very fun, attending exhibitions and experience wise learning about what an artist clearly means by understanding paintings instead of just looking and appreciating their beauty.

Thank you Lyanne Sawyer.

References:

PabloPicasso''BusteDeFemme''1940.1940.Web.FoundAt:http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cuadros-Decoracion-Pictures-1940-Buste-De-Femme-1-Spanish-Painter-Pablo-Picasso-Oil-Painting-Abstract-Decorative/32274419088.html. Accessed on:1 Feb. 2016.

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PabloPicasso''LaFamilliaSoler''1903.1903.Web.Foundat:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pablo_Picasso,_1903,_La_Famille_Soler,_oil_on_canvas,_150_x_200_cm,_Mus%C3%A9e_des_Beaux-Arts_de_Li%C3%A8ge.jpg Accessed on: 1 Feb. 2016.

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Optimism, Looking on the bright side. ‘What would you give to stop war’ - Banksy[image online] Available at: http://dione-scott.squarespace.com/banksy-2/ [Accessed 1st February 2016].

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