Semplicemente Arte (Simply Art) celebrates Charles Cassar’s artistic oeuvre

A retrospective exhibition showcasing a vast collection of works by the late Charles Cassar has been inaugurated by President Emeritus George Abela at the artist’s residence in Kappara.

The exhibition, organised by his wife Rita and his children Steve, Robert and Christine, also commemorates the first anniversary of his demise in February 2014. The exhibition celebrates the artist’s life and work, as inspired by nature and spirituality.

Cassar, was educated at the Lyceum, the University of Mata and at the Malta School of Art. He spent 43 years of his life teaching but his passion for arts is what characterised his journey through life.

Nature features in Charles’ paintings with a sense of power and freedom. He bridles these forces with colours that are meaningful, blending the real with the ideal. Through his masterpieces Charles recreates nature with images that are as alive as they are evocative. His art removes all that is superfluous, all that weighs it down and the real, thus unchained, becomes hyperreal. True to his character, the artist dug deeper to discover analogies with Man’s life and his own sentiments.

The painting of portraits is also one of Charles strengths. At first, portraits were a tool to improve his artistic talent. In his later works, Charles sought different truths in his depictions, human, cultural and social elements that could only be found in an analysis of his subjects’ lives, their faces, clothes, postures and work. He excavated the psyche of his subjects, their emotions, their history and other aspects which all became essential elements in his technique as much as his colours and brushes. This in depth study of his subject became an indispensable technique in his maturity.

Cassar’s desire of exploring the symbolism of sacred images may have stemmed from the fact that he was a believer and so was naturally drawn towards faith and morality. It can also be attributed to his interest in religion as a phenomenon, as a historical and cultural reality.

Charles’ last work was a gift that he wanted to give to his wife Rita. Rita and her Africa stems from the many years that Rita spent in Africa due to her work. The masterpiece is riddled with real life characters who are intrinsically linked to Rita’s life. The style and materials applied, represent the concentrated soul of Charles Cassar. Its brilliant figures, its pictorial power, its narrative ability, its perfect composition of landscape and design it is perhaps an accolade to the genius who created it.

The art collection exhibited in Triq l’Alwett in Kappara, represents salient steps from the artist’s journey. Some of his works are also found in private collections worldwide, at the Museum of Fine Art in Valletta, il Museo d’Arte Moderna in Pistoia and la Pinacoteca d’Arte in Locri. Thorughout his long artistic career he has won various competitions, obtained prizes and recognitions from both local and foreign associations.