Ignazio Carlo Cortis, 1826-1898 : his artistic contribution to 19th century in Malta

Abstract

The first section discusses the artists’ life, artistic formation and early years. The second section gives an in depth analytic study of all of Cortis’ ecclesiastical works and discusses the developments and merits of Ignazio Carlo Cortis’ style. This section also brings forward an analytic study of the works by Cortis which had been altered or destroyed. The third section discusses Cortis’ portraits, genre scenes and drawings. The fourth section concerns the artist as a restorer with relation to his restoration intervention on the paintings by Mattia Preti on the ceiling of St John’s Co-Cathedral. Unlike previous research, this study discusses the restoration from Cortis’ point of view, in an attempt to verify whether the criticism addressed to Cortis was justified and to analyze what really happened for the restoration to be unsuccessful. Unfortunately several complications during this research have occurred. One of the difficulties encountered was that it was not possible to conduct further research in Rome, in particular the archives of the Accademia di San Luca, where there could be more material on Cortis. It was also impossible to measure some of the paintings because of their current location. The greatest difficulty encountered, however, was the lack of cooperation from private collectors. In some cases, it was not possible to see Cortis’ works as only photographs were forwarded. In other situations, it was possible to see the works but permission was not given to photograph the paintings. Moreover, it was not always possible to verify Cortis’ works through archival research, since several documents were either nonexistent or misplaced. Another hindrance was the issue of incorrect dating and attributions to Cortis which were not always justified. Additionally, two of Cortis’ works could not be located. This research has proved to be quite challenging but also greatly rewarding. It would not have been possible to carry out this dissertation without the guidance and supervision of my tutor, Mr. Mark Sagona, to whom I am greatly indebted. I most heartily thank him for his constant support, for encouraging me to be more perseverant and for helping me advance further in my studies.