"Mara - Perspettivi" , is a collective exhibition which I chose to visit for a post related to Art. It consisted of a Visual Arts exhibition which I visited, a series of performances, a discussion event, and a concert... All to celebrate "women" for the month of March. All these took part in Palazzo Pereira, Republic Street, Valletta. It spanned from 5th to 22nd of March and the visual arts exhibition was for free. It consisted of works spanning over 5 decades of Maltese art by 20 artists. This exhibition interested me due to the theme of focusing on women, as curiosity hit me, as women for me are marvelous beings that share multiple elements of life that speculate everyone. For me it was interesting to get to know what the artists' impression of a woman was. The works consisted of multiple materials and styles, from photography to sculpture etc... It was interesting to observe different visions with different materials so as to let the artists express themselves freely and more accurate to what they want. Five works which I chose to write about are those that in my opinion had more experimentation in the way of the artist's expression and idea result and vision, apart from the materials used and technique.
The first piece is a pencil drawing by Mariorick Mifsud although the technique is common and popular, especially wit these kind of themes, it grabbed my attention due to the way the artist recreated renaissance style paintings with a local modern figure. It interprets the images we see of religious subjects like the Virgin Mary. It is evident that Romanticism is an inspiration to the artist as the way she is drawn and posing enables an overall soft aesthetic, where she is almost perfect with high beauty, running on the skin tones focusing on the face. Purity is the main element. In my opinion this is a perfect symbol of a woman, showcasing the pure beauty they boast, even without the modern model figure, and that is also an aspect that resembles Romanticism, where the body is curved and not so skinny... This proves how the artist found a model to look like a Romanticism subject.
A direct visual connection is present in "Divina" by Glenn Ellul, where he uses Victorian design in almost all of the imagee. When you look at the design used in the Victorian Era, the idea of femininity triggers instantly in your mind. During this era, The Queen Victoria was a symbol for femininity which centered on motherhood and domestic virtue. It was elegant and respected the female sex by elevating her beauty within. If you analyze this illustration, a plain woman figure is presented in the middle, elegantly standing in front of what look like rays. In my view, it is plain so as to lead the eyes to the most important figure throughout the designs which make the woman. The curves presented from the acanthus leaf familiarize the curves which a woman holds in her beauty. The figure is focused with the help of a diamond shape which may symbolize the female reproductive organ ,contrasting a square frame.
An original piece produced with acrylic paint and acrylic plastic which goes by the name "OM" and developed by the designer Enrique Tabone. It evidently represents the female reproductive organ, followed by what symbolizes blood and looks like lipstick at the same time. These two similar elements that associate with the female, show how the artist achieved a certain aesthetic which represents the breaking pain of a woman with her natural cycle. It can also vibrate the pain a woman goes through when giving birth. Her style reminds me of Expressionism, especially with the way the blood and lipstick are interpreted.
Charcoal and Watercolor drawing named "Flamenco Lady" and produced by Anna Galea which consists of a stylized lady dancing the flamenco. The symbol of femininity is reflected through the use of a dance that is associated normally with women. It boasts elegance in women by the movements that the dancers create. The curves presented in the drawing expose the elegant figure that women hold. Expressionism seems to be an influence for the technique used with stylized figures. The motion of the figure is implied with the curved lines that extend from the curvatures.
A painting by ___ named ___ which instantly caught my attention due to the familiar aspects it consists of with Caravaggio's paintings and techniques. The posture is romantic and full of emotion, as well as the skull is present near the hand as well. The scene seems to show grief, although the technique chario scuro is not that strong compared to Caravaggio's. The hat in Caravaggio's is replaced with a circle that I personally don't know what it consists of. Notice how the room is empty compared to that of Caravaggio's... Is it on purpose to trigger the thinking of gender equality?, as the woman seems to be a housewife with the bandana on the head. The muscles and body structure is exposed the same way as that of the Greeks and The Renaissance Period. In my view, this painting has a great potential to its meaning and vision, but it is lacking a more dramatic scene that it is crying for.
All of the pieces exhibited had somehow a point of contact with historical periods, as woman were and will be always a symbol of diverse elements in life, also a sensitive and controversial subject, especially in Art. A good gesture from all the artists and the organizers to enable this connection to flourish in our modern times.
Bibliography -
BBC - History - Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain. 2015. BBC - History - Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_01.shtml. [Accessed 20 April 2015].
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