Dominic Cutajar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Dominic Cutajar

Mid-Med Bank Limited Report and Accounts, 1983, 1984

The Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St John, officially established in Jerusalem in 1113 to ... more The Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St John, officially established in Jerusalem in 1113 to provide assistance and medical care for pilgrims to the Holy Land, soon acquired a military role and in effect shared fully the vicissitudes of the Crusading milieu. After being forced to evacuate Acre in 1291 and finding refuge in Cyprus, in 1309 the knights of the Order seized the island of Rhodes, holding it till 1522, when the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent laid siege to the town of Rhodes and compelled the Order out of their Aegean base. Then in 1530, the emperor Charles V handed to the Order of St John the Maltese islands (and the port of Tripoli) as a feudal fief, a generous arrangement that permitted the Order to gradually translate this charge into a de facto sovereign state in all possible meaning. But in 1798 General Bonaparte, in charge of the armies of the French Directorate, seized the Maltese Islands en route to the projected invasion of Egypt and the Near East.

Spring in Malta starts somewhat earlier than it does in the more northerly regions of Europe. The... more Spring in Malta starts somewhat earlier than it does in the more northerly regions of Europe. The first tiny flowers bloom in February and a general awakening of Nature happens in a rising crescendo throughout the month of March; the country rambler may be suddenly surprised by a migrating wave of butterflies sweeping majestically in a long straddling line across the fields. Birds are far more plentiful, flocks of linnets abound (and so does their trapping), swallows and martins glide in the shallow depressions of our valleys and the waders are far more evident. But the more signi•ficant change is the sudden burst into song of the passerines, especially by warblers, the blue reck thrush and the corn bunting. The more gentle day temperature may have a lot to do with all this, but subtly we are all urged into a more generous mood, a more open and franker disposition and, one hopes, a clearer discernment of the beneficia-] balance engendered so prolifically by Nature. On second reflection no discovery is more repugnant and more saddening than to find lurking among all this living abundance the dark tall shadow of Man the wanton destroyer, the ultimate embodiment of intelligence, capable of indil!erent but methodical annihilation and supremely incapable of replacing a single butterfly from that long straddling line crossing the green fields. This is the basic aberration all conservationists are up against-for indeed it is an aberration which we need paint no darker than it really is-and as consequence, the trend of progress is all in our favour.

Liber Amicorum - Essays in Art and History in Honour of Albert Ganado, 1994

ABSTRACT: Vincenzo D'Esposito - a little-known itinerant watercolour artist in Malta from the fi... more ABSTRACT:
Vincenzo D'Esposito - a little-known itinerant watercolour artist in Malta from the first decades of the 20th century - had spent his life till 1940 totally immersed in Maltese popular environment while cultivating for a living the marine art genre. Although barely acknowledged at the time, D'Esposito's marine views often echo a gentle reminder of fin-de-siecle melancholy, shared by Italian crepuscular practitioners in art and literature, foreshadowing the untoward tragedy of his final years.

This essay is intended to be read as an overview of the insufficiently-known 17th century Mediter... more This essay is intended to be read as an overview of the insufficiently-known 17th century Mediterranean history, perceived from the perspective of contemporaneous history of Malta. The preceding 16th century had been dominated by the East-West epic clash of the Ottoman Empire with Spain of the Re-conquista, in the course of which (1530) the isolated Maltese islands were passed on to the Knights Hospitallers. The Knights barely viewed this grant with gratification, but the sequence of dramatic events that followed, gave birth to the coherent minor state of the Knights wielding a formidable naval muscle, acknowledged and respected by friends and foes. This recognition became more effective in the course of the 17th century Mediterranean interregnum, as the former two dominant powers transferred their attention outside the Mediterranean, causing a near political vacuum within which a concert of minor powers pursued their own interests. Lasting practically a century, this vacuum – and consequent interregnum - was to be swept away with asserted presence in the Mediterranean of the rising national European states.

: The Times (of Malta) – 6 August 1986. Then in: Journal of Maltese Studies, (1993) Expanded version 2020-2021, 1993

The present text has been expanded from the 1986 and 1993 printed versions. Mikiel Anton Vassall... more The present text has been expanded from the 1986 and 1993 printed versions. Mikiel Anton Vassalli is a vastly respected eighteenth century intellectual who laid the scientific foundations for the study of the Maltese language. But he also emerges as the foremost initiator of Malta's national political aspirations. His gallant efforts in the late 18th century political convulsed world were squashed by the superpowers of the time and Vassalli's political beliefs submerged and for long held in suspension.

Mattia Preti from Drawing to Colour, ed. by Erminia Corace, Edizione D'Arte, 1995

Very little is known of the bottega followers of the great Italian Baroque painter of the sevent... more Very little is known of the bottega followers of the great Italian Baroque painter of the seventeenth century - Mattia Preti, particularly those who were close to the master during the second half of his life spent entirely in Malta. The present essay is an attempt to fill this gap, identifying the followers of his Maltese years, most of whom hardly feature in previous literature.

SerioUJs study f:or Maltese prehistory goes !back some 50 years only, although by that time such ... more SerioUJs study f:or Maltese prehistory goes !back some 50 years only, although by that time such important sites as Ghar Dalam, Ggantija, HaJgm: Qim and ,Imnajdra, as well as the Hypogeum were already excavated, ,if it is at all proper to use that !Word for what essentially turned out to !be a clearing operaNon coupled with a hunt to retrieve objects for Museum display. ,In point of fact, much of the material thus recovered was diJspersed and never reached the Museum collection. Equally -vragic must be ,counted tlhe loss for ever of ,vital archaeological evidence, tha-v ough-v to have been 1Jne true objective of the excavations. The object of an !kind of aJl"chaeological investJigation is not the recovery of artistic :or museum pieces, but simply a scientifically conducted search for evidence, for information. ,U is a kind of detecHve investigation -vo find 'dues' about the past. The dues are the information sought: -vha-v might tame the shape of a great work of art or ...

Mid-Med Bank Ltd : Report & Accounts 1985, 1985

This study aims to scan aspects of sixteenth century Maltese history, focussing around the saga ... more This study aims to scan aspects of sixteenth century Maltese history, focussing around the saga of the 1565 Great Siege, against the background of a much larger context - the epic clash between the superpowers of the time, Spain and the Ottoman empire, which lasted for most of the sixteenth century. The small island of Malta handed over to the Knights Hospitallers in 1530, found itself in the very vortex of this large power warfare, exposed and insecure. Thereby commenced an acrimonious race to meet the expected day of destiny. Yet throughout this prolonged severe and bitter struggle, the Knights were able to mould a viable cohesive state that was to thrive and endure for two more centuries.

Treasures of Malta , 1997

The formation of the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, Malta, goes back to the early years of the ... more The formation of the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, Malta, goes back to the early years of the 20th century, a bi-product of the upsurge of nationalism that was to lead to the political independence of the smallest nation in the European Union. This initial collection of historic and artistic artefacts was brought together thanks to the vision, intelligence and determination of two worthy personalities - two distinguished intellectuals - Sir Themistocles Zammit and Vincenzo Bonello, both of whom had to overcome massive indifference. Their heroic efforts were sustained by those who followed them over time'; so that the collections that had been brought together continued to be enhanced, studied and displayed with dignity. The following essay recounts the story of the Fine Arts collection in the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta.

Palace of the Grand Masters in Valletta, 2001

The fabulous series of tapestries, known as the Grandes Indes, inspired from images of seventeent... more The fabulous series of tapestries, known as the Grandes Indes, inspired from images of seventeenth century Brazil, were woven at the Paris atelier of Gobelins from the 1680s. They owe their renown to the continued European fascination and curiosity for the marvels that kept emerging from the New World. This excited genesis is matched by the sovereign commission of the entire set of eight tapestries by the courts of Versailles, St. Petersburg, the Elector of Brandenburg and the Hospitaller Grand Master Ramon Perellos in Malta. The Gobelins set in the council chamber of the Grand Masters' palace, Valletta, is the sole original set of the Grand Indes to survive to our times.

Originally appeared in : The Sunday Times Building and Architecture Supplement Revised & Extended 2014., 1981

The second half of the seventeenth century in Malta witnessed an astounding flourish of architect... more The second half of the seventeenth century in Malta witnessed an astounding flourish of architectural and artistic activities - it's enough to recall the fecund presence and inspiration of Mattia Preti, one of the giants of Baroque art. Equally impressive were the contemporaneous contribution and achievements of the Gafa' brothers - Melchiorre in the field of sculpture, and the younger Lorenzo whose monumental architecture sealed the dignified aspect of Maltese Baroque. Melchiorre's sublime labours in Rome gave rise to High Baroque sculpture, inducing the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini, guiding star and arbiter of the Roman art world, to acknowledge Melchiorre Gafa' as his worthy rival.

Archaeology & Fertility Cult in the Ancient Mediterranean, ed. A.Bonanno, 1986

The South Temple of the Tarxien Complex is the most elaborately decorated of the Neolithic temple... more The South Temple of the Tarxien Complex is the most elaborately decorated of the Neolithic temples in Malta. The repertoire of stone-carved motifs is fairly extensive, among which - carved beneath a monumental limestone statue - seems to represent the prototype of the egg-and-dart motif before it was abstracted to become, presumably through the agency of the Aegean civilisations, one of the most popular architectural decorative motifs of western art.

A second carving - in an adjacent room to the South Temple - represents a bull and female animal with its young, usually thought to represent a 'sow with litter'. The writer suggests an interpretation connected with the calendar.

Marian Art during the 17th and 18th Centuries. Ed: Mario Buhagiar, 1983

This study first published in 1983, had been intended to serve as an introduction for a seventeen... more This study first published in 1983, had been intended to serve as an introduction for a seventeenth and eighteenth century Marian art held at the Cathedral museum, Mdina, between the 8 and 22 September 1983. The contribution had aimed to establish the correct chronology of Maltese art of those centuries on a solid and documented basis, and has since usefully served as such. The main challenge has been to establish the dating of the Maltese artists involved upon contemporary documentation; hence the relevance of the frequent reference manuscript material of the time.

“The Lure of the Orient – The Schranzes, the Brockdorffs, Preziosi and other artists” in Hyphen, Vol.5 , No. 3, 1987

This study deals with the Schranz group of family artists active in the first half of the 19th ce... more This study deals with the Schranz group of family artists active in the first half of the 19th century - who originated in Baden-Wurtenburg but were attracted to the Mediterranean with the father moving from Italy to Minorca, reaching Malta in 1817. His children - including three painters of outstanding abilities - inherited their father's wanderlust and eventually made an exotic career of their own in Malta, the Aegean area and Constantiople, travelling further all over the Near East and Eygpt.

Malta Six Artists, University Press, 1991

The reputation of Emvin Cremona - one of Malta's foremost artists of the second half of the 20th ... more The reputation of Emvin Cremona - one of Malta's foremost artists of the second half of the 20th century - rests upon his innovative art and above all on his innate gift for chromatic vitality that surprisingly encompasses a range of activity from popular church murals to outstanding daring abstract works, as the minimal "Broken Glass" series of rich chromatic vibrancy in spite of their virginal whiteness. Emvin Cremona's artistic career stands out as a long adventurous journey of experience from tradition to the hazards of experimental art - all stages steeped in the tonal dynamics of shear colour.

Girolamo Ganni in Malta, edit .Giovanni Bonello, Malta , 1994

The landscape art of Malta goes back to the seventeenth century - but in the course of the ninet... more The landscape art of Malta goes back to the seventeenth century - but in the course of the nineteenth century it received a re-invigorating impulse from Neapolitan landscape artists, principally via the activity of Gerolamo Gianni who for over two decades produced a stream of Romantic landscapes and marine art that in turn gave rise to a 'school' of imitators and followers, a tradition that was extended through to the twentieth century - especially the art-form of watercolour.

The (Malta) Sunday Times , 1982

This paper outlines the essential biography of an early seventeenth century painter who at the st... more This paper outlines the essential biography of an early seventeenth century painter who at the start of his career happened to live close, probably at the side of the great Caravaggio during the latter's fifteen month residence in Malta producing some of his finest work. It was enough for the twenty year old Cassarino to acquire some stylistic notions that grafted quality traits to his art, although Cassarino missed the deeper moral tone of the great master. Undeservedly the memory of Cassarino fell into complete oblivion after his death, then recovered in 1961 after nearly four centuries of total forgetfulness. This contribution represents the painful quest and controversies in recovering the memory of Cassarino. Published in 1982, re-drafted in June 2014

Treasures of Malta, pg. 9-13, 1996

Amadeo Preziosi, a Romantic and Oriental artist, spent most of his life in Constantinople and in ... more Amadeo Preziosi, a Romantic and Oriental artist, spent most of his life in Constantinople and in the far flung provinces of the Ottoman Empire. He was a keen observant of both the social scene and the mores of the Levant region in transition but still fanatically attached to the effulgence of its past glories. Preziosi caught all the resplendent colours of the Ottoman tradition as well as the underlying signs of social squalor.

Celebratio Amicitiae (essays in honour of Giovanni Bonello), pp.23-32, FPM, 2006

The annual recurrence of June 29th instantly evokes among the Maltese the traditional folk festiv... more The annual recurrence of June 29th instantly evokes among the Maltese the traditional folk festival of Mnarja, with its roots in the Medieval past tied to the religious festivity of SS. Peter and Paul of the Norman founded Mdina Cathedral. The secular celebrations accompanying the commemoration soon took the character of a nation wide peasant festival enriched by popular singing and racing evens. Other events were further extended closer our times.

Mid-Med Bank Limited Report and Accounts, 1983, 1984

Liber Amicorum - Essays in Art and History in Honour of Albert Ganado, 1994

: The Times (of Malta) – 6 August 1986. Then in: Journal of Maltese Studies, (1993) Expanded version 2020-2021, 1993

Mattia Preti from Drawing to Colour, ed. by Erminia Corace, Edizione D'Arte, 1995

Mid-Med Bank Ltd : Report & Accounts 1985, 1985

Treasures of Malta , 1997

Palace of the Grand Masters in Valletta, 2001

Originally appeared in : The Sunday Times Building and Architecture Supplement Revised & Extended 2014., 1981

Archaeology & Fertility Cult in the Ancient Mediterranean, ed. A.Bonanno, 1986

Marian Art during the 17th and 18th Centuries. Ed: Mario Buhagiar, 1983

“The Lure of the Orient – The Schranzes, the Brockdorffs, Preziosi and other artists” in Hyphen, Vol.5 , No. 3, 1987

Malta Six Artists, University Press, 1991

Girolamo Ganni in Malta, edit .Giovanni Bonello, Malta , 1994

The (Malta) Sunday Times , 1982

Treasures of Malta, pg. 9-13, 1996

Celebratio Amicitiae (essays in honour of Giovanni Bonello), pp.23-32, FPM, 2006

The art of native Maltese artists underwent a vigorous rebirth in the course of the 17th Century ... more The art of native Maltese artists underwent a vigorous rebirth in the course of the 17th Century thanks to direct contacts with a number of worthy continental artists - a slow but accelerating process culminating in the excited flourish of mid-18th Century Late Baroque. This study provides the essential researched biography of the native Maltese protagonists of this phenomenon: Gio Nicola Buhagiar and Francesco Zahra.

A two-part feature covering the 20th Century history of modern art in Malta, largely coeval with ... more A two-part feature covering the 20th Century history of modern art in Malta, largely coeval with the attainment of political sovereignty. This awakening burst forth from the people's cultural and social groundwork, largely untouched by political considerations. The cohesiveness of this dynamism ensured that it continued to grow and develop.

History of a medieval chapel and its frescoes in Malta at the locality known as Birmiftuh.

A chronological overview of the various contacts and influence of Sicilian artistic developments ... more A chronological overview of the various contacts and influence of Sicilian artistic developments (1200 to 1800) on Maltese art.

Giuseppe Calì, edit. Edwin A. Camilleri, pub. Malta , 1991

The Maltese painter Giuseppe Cali' (b. 1846) gravitated to the Naples' Istituto di Belle Arti in ... more The Maltese painter Giuseppe Cali' (b. 1846) gravitated to the Naples' Istituto di Belle Arti in his youth at a time of political upheaval leading to the unification of Italy. This upheaval did not spare that respected institution from going through a bitter contest of re-orientation. The rebellious students eventually were recognised among the eminent artists of Italy. Giuseppe Cali' found himself following the struggle of sensibilities, acquiring in the process both the staid classicism of his teachers, and the firm commitment to a down-to-earth realism of the newer generation of artists. Cali' was to practise assiduously this amalgam of virtuosistic art in Malta for five decades in the course of which he became the dominant figure of Maltese art.

Anton Inglott 1915-1945, Ed. J. Azzopardi, published by Friends of Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta, 1988

The brief course of Anton Inglott's artistic career, the presumption of his orthodox formation, a... more The brief course of Anton Inglott's artistic career, the presumption of his orthodox formation, and the conformity of his thematic program has wholly obscured the distinct uniqueness of his spirit. At the age of twenty three, Inglott qualified for a formative course of study at the Accademia in Rome. But his real inspiration came from the metaphysical environment that had swept over Italian art in between the two World wars, that found a natural bond with Inglott's own mysticism in the final years of his life, aggravated by failing health as well as the desperate conditions of wartime Malta - a travailed saga that gave birth to a stirring art.

Josef Kalleya (1898-1998) ranks as the most unique of Malta's contemporary sculptors. Reared and ... more Josef Kalleya (1898-1998) ranks as the most unique of Malta's contemporary sculptors. Reared and trained in a revanchist traditional milieu that denounced all vestiges of modernist ideas in art, Kalleya fought a lone and hopeless battle for his own artistic vision. for decades. Begrudgingly late recognition reached him in his declining years, but his authenticity and freshness is only now in general acknowledged.

An account of art developments in Malta in the nineteenth century under British colonial rule, re... more An account of art developments in Malta in the nineteenth century under British colonial rule, recording the passage from Baroque through Neo-classicism and Romanticism, illustrating how Malta in the process became a bastion of Nazarener art.