Task
1 Design (Ms Abela)
For this task I chose the Ta’
1) I hail from
Gozo and so it was easier for me to visit this place.
2) It is a gold mine of artistic works and designs which
are produced by artisans in the Crafts Village
This craft village is very
well laid out with individual shops scattered around the site, each
specializing on different subjects.
My first visit was on 24th October, 2015 and I visited three
different shops namely:
o
Inkwina.
o
Gozo
Pottery Barn.
o
MARIA’S
Lace Shop.
My second visit was on 29th October, 2015 when I visited one shop
namely:
o
Gozo
Glass Factory.
5 Designs reviewed:
Metalwork – Candlestick
Lace – Shawl
Mosaic – Mirror
Glass – Bowl
Perfume Bottle
These five
designs are there to fill a need. All the five designs I chose have a purpose.
These are done to make people’s lives better. One can appreciate them more when
one knows why they were made in the first place. The candlestick holds two
candles so as to create a soft light in a room, the shawl will be worn, the
purpose of the mirror is obvious and the glass objects serve as containers for
fruits or other objects in the case of the bowl and perfume in the case of the
bottle.
1)
Candlestick
A very nice design created from mild steel bars is a
candle holder which can give a soft light to a room soothing to the eyes.
According to John Grech, the Tin Smith, it takes at least five hours to
complete this work.
This candlestick was produced at
the workshop called ‘Inkwina’.
In this place, beautiful
metal objects are produced by a Tin Smith who uses simple hand tools by which
he uses his creativity to produce artistic works. Although, machinery would
have made the production of the metal objects easier and faster, here, every
piece is done individually. A Tin Smith is different from a Black Smith.
Up to the 1950s, Tin Smiths
were quite common in the Maltese Islands
The materials used by this
Tin Smith are:
Figure 2: Sheets of mild steel (Photograph taken by me)
Figure 3: Mild
steels in the form of bars (Photograph taken by me)
The technique used is
called ‘Repousse’ which is a metalworking technique
in which a malleable metal is
ornamented or shaped by hammering from
the reverse side to create a design in low relief.
The tools used are the
anvil, curved chisel, hollow block, sand bag and special hammers.
Figure
4: Anvil (Photograph taken by me)
Figure 5: Curved Chisel (Photograph
taken by me)
Figure
6: Hollow Block and Sandbag
(Photograph taken by me)
Figure
7: Hollow Block (Photograph taken by me)
Figure
8: Sandbag (Photograph taken by me)
Figure
9: Special Hammers (Photograph taken by me)
After cutting the material,
the part to be embossed is beaten with a round mallet onto the round hollow
block, making it concave or convex. At this point, the article is still very
crude, so it has to be plenished. Special hammers which are slightly convex are
used to beat the plate throughout to make a mirror - like finish. Afterwards,
the edges are rounded up throughout the perimeter.
Figure
10: Finished Steel Bird (Photograph
taken by me)
Figure 11: Grech uses one of the special hammers to round
the edges of the steel bird
(Photograph
taken by me)
Figure
12: An oven so as to heat the steel (Photograph
taken by me)
Some items are coloured
naturally by heating the steel at specific temperatures, others are painted
using paint spray. Those which are coloured have four separate coatings so as
to make them weather - proof.
1.
Anti
- rust coat.
2.
Base
coat.
3.
Colouring
(paint spray eg: acrylics).
4.
Lacquer
which prevents colours from fading makes it weather - proof.
In my opinion this candlestick has a very
beautiful design. The way the two solid rods are intertwined around each other
to form the column coming out of the round base and then these two metal rods
separate from each other to end as the sockets of the candles with the bobeche
in the form of a flower to catch the melted wax. The shape is pleasing to the
eye. Watching the Tin Smith creating these beautiful designs using his hands and
simple tools impressed me a lot and this impressed on me that to do nice
designs one needs a lot of patience and ingenuity.
2) Shawl
A shawl is a simple item of
clothing which is worn loosely on the shoulder but sometimes also over the
head. It helps a person to keep warm especially if worn over sleeveless dresses
and also to complement some types of costumes.
Figure 13: Unfinished Lace (Photograph
taken by me)
The material used is silk
Tools: Pillow On the inside
there is dry straw which is then covered with brown paper. Then a traditional
pattern is made on the brown paper.
Bobbins The bigger the pattern,
the larger number of bobbins used.
Pins.
Technique: Bobbin lace
(Ghazel is the Maltese term used to describe the technique) is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. A pattern is initially drawn on
parchment paper. Holes are pricked to show where the pins should be placed.
These pins serve to maintain the silk threads stable whilst the lace is made.
The parchment is placed on the pillow throughout the whole process.
Figure 14: A close up of the
technique called Bobbin Lace (Photograph taken by me)
Figure 15: Bobbins with silk hanging on a pillow (Photograph taken by me)
Figure 16: An
even more close up of the technique called Bobbin Lace
(Photograph taken by me)
When a stripe is finished
another stripe is started and then they are sewn together. In the picture six
stripes are sewn together with the outer two stripes having a border.
Figure 17: Lace (Photograph
taken by me)
I am
really impressed by the amount of work needed to produce a shawl. It is a slow
process and one has to be very patient. I was never a great admirer of lace
products but after Maria, the owner of the shop, let me wear the shawl I felt
really excited and thrilled with this experience.
3) Mirror
I chose this mirror because of
the beauty of its design. When one looks at it one can see his own image but at
the same time can appreciate the mosaic design made of small pieces of mirror
and coloured glass.
The materials are coloured glass, cut
mirrors, glue.
The tool is a diamond cutter.
Figure 18: Mosaic Mirror
(Photograph taken by me)
The Direct Method: This involves directly placing the individual pieces on
the surface where the mosaic will lay. This method is best suited for surfaces
having a three-dimensional look.
The direct method is great for small projects that you would move once it is finished. Another nice thing about the direct method is that you get to see your resulting mosaic take life. It also allows for you to make little adjustments to tile placement and color.
Technique: First, the design is made. Then, pieces of glass are cut
to shape and these are stuck on the board with glue (Tessere). When finished,
all the pieces are left to dry. The next day, the design is framed and grouting
is done. The grouting is mixed to yoghurt consistency and in this case, grey
grouting is used. Then, the grouting is spread on the design and left to dry.
When completely dry, the grouting is gently removed with a dry, soft cloth
leaving the grout in between the glass pieces.
Figure
19: Close up of the Mosaic Mirror (Photograph
taken by me)
Figure 20: Another close up of the Mosaic Mirror showing the
grout surrounding the glass
pieces (Photograph taken by me)
Figure 21: A third close up of the Mosaic Mirror (Photograph taken by me)
This work really excites me
because of the fantastic ideas in the design. The artist gives equal importance
to the mirror and the mosaic. Usability (the mirror) and beauty (the mosaic)
are definitely in balance here The way the plant climbs up from the left lower
part of the frame to the right of the mirror until it reaches the upper right
part with different coloured flowers and buds some impinging onto the mirror
itself make this design harmonious and for me fascinating. This teaches me that
experimenting with different ideas before creating a design would produce
better results even for simple things like a mirror as in this case.
4) Gozo Glass Bowl and 5) Perfume Bottle
Figure 22: Gozo Glass bowl
Figure 23: Gozo Glass Perfume Bottle
These two beautiful examples of design were
done at the Gozo Glass factory. This is a small family run business which specializes in doing items mainly in
coloured glass, inspired from nature itself and the natural beauty
and charming landscapes of Gozo.
Technique:
Silicate glass is put in a glass furnace at
around 1,250°C for two days the
glass emits enough heat to appear almost white hot. The glass is then left to
"fine out" (allowing the bubbles to
rise out of the mass), and then the working temperature is reduced in the
furnace to around 1,150°C for one day. At this stage, the glass appears to be a
bright orange color. The molten glass is gathered on a blowing iron and ceramic
colour is applied.
There are many ways to
apply patterns and color to blown glass, including rolling molten glass in
powdered color or larger pieces of colored glass called frit. Glass is
colored using closely guarded recipes that involve specific combinations of
metal oxides, melting temperatures and 'cook' times. Then air is blown into the
pipe, creating a bubble. Next, the glassworker can gather more glass over that
bubble to create a larger piece. A
second furnace called the glory
hole is used to reheat a piece in between steps of working with it. The glassblowing is done
between 870°C and 1,040°C
Once a piece has been blown
to its approximate final size, the bottom is finalized. Then, the molten glass
is attached to a stainless steel or
iron rod called a punty for
shaping and transferring the hollow piece from the blowpipe to provide an
opening and/or to finalize the top. Then the glass work is put in an annealing
oven (annealer), which is used to slowly cool the glass, over a period of a few
hours to a few days, depending on the size of the pieces. This keeps the glass
from cracking or shattering due to thermal stress. The next day the bottom
is grinded and later smoothed to remove the roughness of the grinding.
This lovely bowl from the Rustika collection
is a beautiful design which can be used to hold different things including
fruit. I find Gozo glass beautiful and pleasing to the eye because the
colouring seems to be three dimensional and if it is put in front of a light
source one can appreciate the beauty of the product.
As its name implies the perfume bottle can
be used to hold perfume because the stopper is airtight but I also see it being
used for decoration. It is part of the Midnight collection and has a 925 Sterling
Silver leaf wrapped around a deep blue colour. The silver leaf can be compared
to the nebulous light of the moon reflecting on the midnight sea. The stopper
is also coloured and has a very particular shape.
Seeing glass objects being
produced enriched my knowledge of art in general. The whole process from
pellets of glass to these beautiful objects really amazes me and I can say that
now I can appreciate this craft much more than before. I have glass objects in
my family’s house which I never really appreciated but now I see them as the
beautiful works of art that they really are.
References:
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia. 2003. Glassblowing.
[Online].
Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassblowing
[Accessed 30 October 2015].
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia. 2004. Repousse and chasing.
[Online].
Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repouss%C3%A9_and_chasing
[Accessed 29 October 2015].
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia. 2007. Glass production.
[Online].
Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_production
[Accessed 30 October 2015].
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Maltese lace. [Online].
Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltese_lace
[Accessed 30 October 2015].
Making - Mosaics. 2008. Description of Methods Used For Making
Mosaics. [Online].
Available from: http://www.making-mosaics.com/methods.html
[Accessed 29 October 2015].
Mdina Glass Handmade. 2014. Glassmaking Techniques. [Online].
Available from: https://www.mdinaglass.com.mt/en/aboutus/aboutus/4/glassmaking-techniques.htm#.
[Accessed 30 October 2015].
Official Gozo Glass Site. 2016. Gozo Glass. [Online].
Available from: http://www.gozoglass.com/
[Accessed 30 October 2015].
Ta’ Dbiegi Craft
Village Dbiegi Craft
Village
Available from: http://www.malta.com/en/attraction/shopping/ta-dbiegi-craft-village
[Accessed 29 October 2015].
References for Images:
Feathers – Antiques and
Collectables. [No Date]. Gozo Glass Bowl.
[Image Online].
Available at: http://www.feathersonline.co.uk/GG52.jpg
Available at: http://www.gozoglass.com/collections/midnight-collection?page=3
[Accessed 30 October 2015].
Task 1 Art (Dr Caruana)
For this task I visited the recently opened Il-Hagar Museum
which is found in St George’s
Square in the centre of Victoria . This contains mainly art works of
a religious nature but also other historical and cultural artefacts. I was
lucky to find an exhibition by the Gozitan born Savio Mizzi who is based in the
USA .
I chose three works of art from the permanent display of the museum and two art
pieces from the temporary exhibition.
Figure 1: The Holy Trinity and the Virgin with Saints
(Photograph taken by me)
Media: Oil
on canvas
Artist:
Enrico Regnaud
Date: 1739
Measurements:
217 x 152 cm
This baroque painting like a lot
of paintings at that time has easily interpreted detail to produce drama and
grandeur to the theme of the artwork. Other elements of Baroque are the bright
colours, frontal light and drapery with sharp outlines and folds. It involves a tier system of figures, namely
the Trinity above, in the middle there is the Virgin Mary and Saint Homobonus,
and below Saint Andrew and Saint Basil. I have always liked this arrangement
since encountering this tier system in other works including the Renaissance
painting The Holy Trinity by
Massaccio (1424) which consisted of the Holy Trinity above, in the middle at
the foot of the cross are Mary and St. John, and
one step down from them are Masaccio’s donors to either side. I also
liked El Greco’s The Burial of Count
Orgaz (1586) but this one only have a two tier system namely heavenly
beings and earthly beings. I also like the way the artist painted the clouds so
as to produce this tier system. Besides, this painting also reminds me of the Triumph of the Name of Jesus
by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, the ceiling fresco at the Church of Il Gesù
Media: Egg
Tempera and Pure Gold
Date: 2015
Misericordie Vultus Icon – Icon of the Merciful Face 2015 Egg
tempera and pure gold. The icon was presented to Il-Hagar Museum
Media: Oil
on Canvas
Date: 17th
Century
Measurements:
74 x 57 cm
This is an oil on canvas painting
by Giuseppe d’Arena (1647-1719) who was a student of Mattia Preti depicting St Joseph as an old man
holding a flower as is so often presented by the writers of apocryphal gospels.
He is portrayed in bust-length and the influence of Mattia Preti is clearly
seen in the highlights, flesh tones and broad drapery folds. When I first
looked at this painting I felt as if I cannot take my eyes of it. He seemed to
be looking at me as if he wants to tell me something and as St Joseph was the guardian of Jesus I feel
that he is also my guardian and protector. I feel that d’Arena wanted to show
the spirituality of St Joseph
rather than a flattering representation of the subject. Obviously he could not
produce a literal likeness because nobody knows how the face of St Joseph was. In this
painting, with the mouth relatively neutral much of his facial expression was
created by the eyes and eyebrows which convey a feeling of seriousness and
sadness. The artist did not use a wide range of colours and instead used dark
tones in keeping with the sombre expression of St Joseph . This canvas was restored quite
recently in 2012.
Figure 5: Sigra (Photograph
taken by me)
Media: Watercolours on canvas
Sigra is a painting by the Gozitan artist Savio Mizzi who resides
in New York .
Watercolours on canvas. This painting impressed me for several reasons; first
the form of the tree which gives the impression of a tree bent like an old
person and from the old tree sprouting a large strong trunk which traverses the
picture from left to right giving a sense of continuation and hence harmony and
unity to the art piece. Secondly I am impressed by the way he uses the colours.
The mixture of colours resemble a nebula with blue, purple, pink, red, yellow
and brown all melting together. The artist seems to use the watercolours as if
they are diluted with a lot of water. I like a lot the circular watercolours
mainly found on the left side of the painting as if these were inadvertently
dropped from the paint brush. Thirdly the use of the colours by themselves
would have made a nice abstract picture even if there was no theme for the
picture. Lastly when I look at the painting, it makes me reflect what message
the artist wanted to convey. I already mentioned that the tree look like a
crooked old man and the picture has the beautiful colours of a nebula. I also
imagined the tree to be a wave breaking with the shore. All in all this
painting really transports me to a fantastic imaginary world.
Figure 6: Furia (Photograph
taken by me)
Media: Watercolours on canvas.
I chose to discuss this painting
because I like how the artist is mixing Gozitan landscape with the subject
matter of the painting that is the horse. One can immediately recognize the
Azure window in Dwejra which is coloured while the horse in the foreground is
drawn in monochrome. The horse looks like a sketch as if it is a rough and
unfinished drawing but if one looks closely at it, one can really appreciate
its beauty. I also like the way the artist uses the watercolours especially the
blots around the head of the horse as if these were flicked onto the painting
using the paint brush. Analyzing a painting like this helps me to increase my
creativity and find new ways how to express my feelings.
References:
Dictionary.com. 2016. Sombre.
[Online].
Available from:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sombre
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2001. Baroque. [Online].
Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2004. New Testament apocrypha. [Online].
Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament_apocrypha
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2005. Portrait painting. [Online].
Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_painting
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
Heart of Gozo Il-Hagar. 2012. EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY US BASED GOZITAN ARTIST SAVIO MIZZI.
[Online].
Available from:
http://www.heartofgozo.org.mt/exhibition-of-works-by-us-based-gozitan-artist-savio-mizzi/
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
Iconography in Malta Churches. [No Date]. d’arena – farrugia. [Online].
Available from: https://sites.google.com/site/iconographyinmaltachurches/home/dar---far
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
Italian Renaissance. 2015. Masaccio’s Holy Trinity. [Online].
Available from: http://www.italianrenaissance.org/masaccios-holy-trinity/
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
SAVIOartSTUDIO. [No Date]. Fine Arts. [Online].
Available from: http://savioartstudio.com/fine-arts/
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
Zakaria, Dr. W. 1993. ICONS
‘Their history and Spiritual Significance’. [Online].
Available from:
http://www.coptic.net/articles/copticicons.txt
[Accessed 22 January 2016].
