Robert Caruana Dingli: Letters, caricatures and other works

Robert Caruana Dingli: Letters, Caricatures and Other Works

Dr Charlene Vella Acquiring a new book always comes with a sense of delight; this is surely the case with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti’s (FPM) latest publication that focuses on the Maltese artist Robert Caruana Dingli (1882-1940), younger brother to the better-known Edward (1876-1950).

This handsome book tells a tale of early 20th century art in Malta and its protagonists in general and Caruana Dingli in particular, for it also sheds light on events and exhibitions that included artistic rivalry, insularity, lawsuits, fanaticism and artists’ temperament.

The principal motivation for this publication is a series of over 100 letters by Robert Caruana Dingli written to his good friend Vincenzo Bonello (1891-1969). (The replies by Bonello to Caruana Dingli have not yet been traced). The published letters were discovered by Judge Giovanni Bonello in his father’s (Vincenzo) archives that are yielding valuable information on Malta’s early 20th century artistic scene. Bonello, who was curator of the Museum of Fine Arts between 1926 and 1937, was an instrumental figure in Malta’s 20th century artistic scene.

This publication, however, is not solely a transcription of these letters. Four essays enrich the publication, three of which stem from information retrieved from the letters that shed more light on known facts on Caruana Dingli’s life and work in the period in question: that is, following his move to London just before the outbreak of the First World War in the summer of 1914 when he was still a bachelor, and the time he spent in Gozo where he relocated with his family in 1921.

The four essays are by Giovanni Bonello, Petra Caruana Dingli, Anastasia Anastasi Vella and Ġorġ Mallia.

Giovanni Bonello’s essay discusses the letters and their significance in detail, while Petra Caruana Dingli's contribution provides a detailed biographical background to the artist’s ancestors, his own upbringing and childhood and beyond. This essay also deals with his artistic work, such as the artist’s involvement in art groups and their exhibitions, his illustrations such as those for Salvatore Laspina's Outlines of Maltese history, his work as a commercial artist for a London firm working there between 1911 and 1913, and the like. Petra Caruana Dingli’s contribution is laden with information and must have been a mammoth task to compile. Unfortunately, it however, can be sometimes confusing due to the listing of facts that do not always appear chronologically and some repetition could have been avoided.

Anastasia Anastasi Vella then deals with the art-historical account and Robert Caruana Dingli’s artistic imprint. This essay discusses his oeuvre according to genre, including landscapes, cartoons, caricatures, illustrations, and, of course, the artist’s religious works produced in Gozo. It is a shame that the images of the artist’s religious works only feature alongside the transcribed and published letters. Moreover, the lack of caption numbers and references to captions throughout the essays does not allow the viewer to easily gauge which images are published in which section.

In fact, the publication adequately provides illustrations of the caricatures, drawings, sketches, and more by the artist, adequately highlighting the artist’s talents. A portrait of his good friend Vincenzo Bonello does not go amiss.

Ġorġ Mallia’s brief yet gripping contribution on cartoons from the early 1920s quickly goes into the history of the political cartoon related to Malta and those produced by Caruana Dingli, and is also intimately related to the published letters in this book. It delves into the characters selected to be subjects of Robert’s cartoons, and it associates known cartoons with those mentioned in the said letters.

Halfway through this publication, one gets to the transcribed letters: the raison d’être of the book and the reason many of us are eager to own this publication. These are divided according to where they were penned − London and Gozo − and are reproduced chronologically.

The artist was in London from mid-1914 with the aim to sell a painting he had recently acquired which he believed to be by Rembrandt. While in London he visited museums and galleries, taking in as much as he could and learning about artists that took his liking. The letters for instance reveal that Robert Caruana Dingli did not connect to the Cubist works, and that he had a hard time making ends meet.

Letters were also exchanged between Robert and Bonello when Caruana Dingli settled in Gozo where he was able to secure artistic commissions in order to support his family through his art. Despite the dreary situation Robert faced when working there, he lived a full life being himself, jovial and a practical joker.

The actual letters are occasionally scanned and reproduced alongside the transcription. This allows readers to also perceive the artist’s calligraphy and really brings the artist’s personality to the fore.

The letters, written with sheer passion in English and Maltese, are in themselves extremely insightful and descriptive. They shed light on the artist’s state of mind, insecurities, preoccupations, his affections towards Vincenzo Bonello and those dearest to him when he was away for long periods of time, descriptions of his own works and sentiments towards them, his likes and dislikes, and such.

Robert was the more political of the two Caruana Dingli brothers, and he spoke his mind openly with his good friend Vincenzo. We learn that Robert Caruana Dingli was bitter towards Giuseppe Calì, and we discover just how hostile the artist was towards his brother, Edward. Robert in fact even criticises Edward’s artistic style and his adherence to Cali’s teachings. And there were other artists with whom Robert did not see eye to eye. The letters reveal animosity Robert had towards another local artist who was also a cartoonist: Gianni Vella. And we learn all of this from the ultimate of primary sources, written by the artist’s own hand.

Despite the few quirks mentioned above, this is another formidable book by FPM that makes a lovely collection of information on the artist and early 20th century Maltese history, and immortalises letters that we are lucky enough to be able to read and study.