Pictured above: Marsascala

Joseph Casapinta, an artist well known for his command of all media, has this time embarked upon a creative journey, an exploration of the real places that have inspired him throughout his life. In order to fulfill this Casapinta has developed a technique with watercolours that is beyond the traditional; indeed he states unequivocally that his inspiration is part of the technique he uses.

Casapinta has visited different, personally inspirational, every day sights in Malta and beyond and has captured the very essence of what is actually there. For example, he has not produced scenic pop art that shows only the glory of the fortifications or the stunning beauty of the architecture concerned, no!

What Casapinta has done is remarkable in the sense that he has included the street signs, the telegraph wires and the crates of Cisk and through his skill as an impressionist has delivered an amalgamation of styles that incorporate, serenity, natural beauty, bold and strong imagery alongside stunning modernistic and naturalistic reality. His work is visual poetry; one can hear the band playing, hear the idle chatter and humour of the local pub clientele; the scenes flow with elegance and a raw reality that gives such mood and depicts a vibrancy you would not ordinarily associate with a series of watercolours. One can view the myriad scenes and feel the atmosphere; cathartic not only for the artist, but in a sublime manner, for the viewer too.

The Rising Sun

The stunning seascapes and harbour views captivate the eye and the mind; one can hear the gentle lapping of the water against the pebbled shore or the shiny, well kept hulls. Indeed, the wonderful detail in reflection is breathtaking and is all part of the art of creating a visual image that flows from the heart, and onto the paper through those dancing brushes.

The way Casapinta captures the mysterious shadows with the skillfully applied dark tones creates the beautiful, naturalistic light, allowing the impression of detail to come to the fore and this is all rooted in the technique he has been developing for some time. He chooses a scene, immerses himself in the creative mindset and then allows his brushes to dance over the page as if the scene is flowing through him and onto the pre stretched paper. There is indeed a real flow in the construction as he uses plenty of water to allow the paint to have free movement which blends colour and form in a manner that can only be described as breathtaking.

Each composition relates a story from a uniquely personal perspective and this allows his actions to be rapid and free moving; he already feels and indeed sees on the paper that which will appear before a single brush stroke meanders its way fleetingly across the page. Trails of watercolour blend and create a dynamic realism that captures not only the reality, character and beauty of a scene, but also enables the viewer to be as happily lost in the art as the creator was at that point in time he so skillfully encapsulates.

Casapinta’s 5^th solo exhibition titled ‘Dancing Brushes’ will be open to the public from the 7th December 2013 till 31st January 2014 at Palazzo Depiro, Mdina.