The University School of Design and patterns of academic artistic training in Early British Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to present a comprehensive study of academic training and academic artistic production in Malta during the first half of the nineteenth century. The scarcely researched period has drawn the attention of a number of art-historians, but in majority their writings were limited to a general overview, usually based on secondary late nineteenth century sources. The most important among the latter were the writings of Vincenzo Camana Gatto and Giuseppe Calleja. The recent studies by Mario Buhagiar, Michael Ellul and Keith Sciberras helped establish a more definite framework of activity, but with the exception of Giuseppe Grech, Michele Busuttil, Giorgio Pullicino, until Pietro Paolo Caruana, none of the artists discussed in this study received more than a brief mention. A number of these artists were just names without any attributed or documented works of art. Their life-story was equally elusive. When the work was begun, many of the drawings here ascribed were without any designated authorship. To study this period I have carried out a thorough survey of nineteenth century drawings in public collections coupled with an exhaustive research in manuscript sources that could document Maltese nineteenth century art history. The suggestions regarding the authorship of a number of drawings p1esented in this study reflect evidence collected from both technical and stylistic analyses. A number of drawings remain unfortunately in search of an author. In such cases, only hints that have still to be proven correct, have been attempted. These will, in any case, offer a point of departure for future study.