The school of Tommaso Minardi as reflected in nineteenth century painting in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

God started it all! As a believer, and whatever the reader might otherwise think, I wanted at all costs to have that divine word standing at the beginning of these pages. The association is not actually meant to simulate in any way the initial lines of St John's gospel, nor is it intended to introduce any theological treatise, for what follows has to do with the creations of man. But what is dealt with here is a particular group of people who, as artists, were better placed to express a spiritual longing through their painting. The fad that the bulk of their production belongs to what we call 'sacred art' might have a direct relevance to the above sentiments, but my point here is essentially that God as Christianity conceives Him made possible all the subsequent writing. Art in nineteenth century Malta was targeted by generations of artists who have been designated as belonging to the Purist movement, and its very close ally the Nazarener movement. By all accounts both movements which were almost contemporaneously born in neighbouring Italy, had a deep inspiration from Christian values. At a time when a proper artistic apprenticeship by young Maltese aspirants was almost invariably linked to that country, it came almost natural that many of them would proceed to Italy for their training. There they came into contact with, among others, Tommaso Minardi (1787-1871), the Italian artist who hailed from Faenza and who was to achieve an overriding influence on numerous artists during his professorial

tenure at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. This Roman Academy drew to it young aspiring artists from many European countries, including Malta whose first connections with it have been traced to 1662 when the celebrated sculptor Melchiorre Gafa (1636-1667) received the highest honour at the tender age of twenty six.