The Malta Independent on Sunday
Experiencing the Modern and Contemporary in a Baroque context
More often than not, when curating a museum’s collection, one often tends to take a chronological approach when grouping certain paintings together. This is certainly the case when it comes to the Mdina Cathedral Museum, where each room holds a number of works from a particular period or master, as is the case in the Baroque Hall and the Dürer collection respectively. However, whilst all of these works date more or less to a similar time period, there is one work in particular that stands out; the work by Anton Inglott.
Inglott was a Maltese artist of the 20th century who became particularly notable in his artistic career during the latter years of his life. In terms of artistic background, he received training much like every other artist during the 1930s and was a contemporary of great Maltese masters such as Esprit Barthet, Emvin Cremona and Willie Apap. Inglott, along with his contemporaries attended the Reggia Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. However, his style is considerably different to those of his artistic peers.
What is interesting to note is that Anton Inglott is one of the only 20th century artists that has a work on display in the Mdina Cathedral Museum, despite it being relatively sectioned off from the rest. The link between the traditional art collection, the modern, and the contemporary is essentially what the APS Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale targets; fusing the past with the present. Under the artistic direction of Giuseppe
Schembri Bonaci, this magnificent Baroque building serves as the foundation for the contemporary artworks that are to be installed in the coming months. Much like Inglott’s work, current-day artists are to be presenting their works among the great works of Maltese Baroque giants, however, instead of being separated by the time period, they are going to be fused together, resulting in a beautiful interrelationship between the art of the Old Masters who certainly left their footprint in the history of Maltese art, together with new and upcoming artists, both local and international, who will be exhibiting contemporary digital installations dealing with the theme of the current environmental crisis. Through this comparison, one is truly able to see and appreciate how much art has evolved throughout the years.
Inglott is best known for his spiritual and mystic style, and spirituality is a core characteristic in all the APS Mdina Biennale editions. Presently, a substantial number of his works are being exhibited on Gozo at Il-Hagar Museum in Rabat. Through this exhibition of portraits, sacred scenes, still lifes, landscapes, studies, and sketches, one can truly appreciate the development of his style from a relatively conservative one to a mystic and spiritual one which has become pivotal in Maltese Modern art dealing with the sacred. The exhibition is currently open and runs until the 27th November 2019. Thematically, one could say that the art of Inglott and the collection of the Mdina Cathedral Museum create a beautiful harmony together, because it is very much indebted to the religious and secular themes that were central to the Baroque period. He tackles these subjects with a new style, mainly with a monochromatic palette. Interestingly, it is these types of transformations that will be seen in the installations that are to be presented at the APS Mdina Biennale. Artists will be presenting works that defy the norms and transform the ideals with regard to their own perceptions, all of which will be immersed in this beautifully classical setting, thus providing a great contrast.
Much like the beauty of the exhibition showcasing the life and art of Anton Inglott, the APS Mdina Biennale will also showcase not one artist in particular, but several. Each of the installations will be telling a story within the works that they will be presenting, all of which fall under the common theme and concern for the upcoming edition; Regaining a Paradise Lost, which is currently a primary topic of international discussion. Held within the closed walls of the beautiful Cathedral Museum, it is thanks to events and exhibitions like these that one can truly appreciate the relationship between the art of the past and the present. One may even come to notice classical artworks and contemporary installations that tackle more or less a similar theme, the only dividing factor being their very distinctive styles.
The APS Mdina Biennale will be held at the Mdina Cathedral Museum and will run from 13 March until 18 April 2020. www.mdinabiennale.com