Essay

Il-Luzzu

The Luzzu is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of maltese traditional fishing vessels. What's iconic about this fishing vessel is that it has a pointed front and back and is always painted in very bright colours.

Figure 1 : Luzzu Colour

They are brightly painted in yellow, red, green and blue. Its most eye catching feature is ironically the two eyes on both sides of the booth which is the only part that distincts its front from back.

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This eyes go back to the Egyptian times which was also practiced by greeks and is said to be one of the few modern survival of ancient Phoenician customs. It is said that they are a reference to the Eye of Horus or Osiris. 

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It has very similar characteristics to the Kajjik but instead it has a square transom. 

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The luzzu is not just a nice boat to look at it is also a very practical one too. Its design did not survive all these years for nothing this is because it tends to be very sturdy and stable boat for both good and bad weather. 

As said it was originally made to go fishing with it, so much so that originally it had sails on it but nowadays it not practical on that type of boat. Now they are equipped with motors and are a huge tourist attraction because  now it's used for trips around this beautiful island.

Maltese Filigree

This beautiful art is a very rare sight to see compared to before. It has a very thorough process which takes years to master due to the large amount of detail that some of the these filigree pieces have and also because of the large margin of error that a lot of things can go wrong.

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The long process obviously first starts from melting and mixing the pure gold or the silver grains with another metal in very a high temperature. The most common metals used to be added with the mixture are usually copper or zinc. 

This mixture determines what the color outcome and the price due to the amount of gold or silver used in the final piece of jewellery. The second step is to pour the molten silver or gold alloy into the mould to form what is called an ingot.

Figure 2: Molten Silver Mix 

After the ingot is made it is stretched through a mill to produce wires of different thicknesses. The first half of this hard process is now done and the forming of the design is the most elaborate part of the whole process and is performed by highly trained artisans.

Using only their fingers and a pair of tweezers these artisans fill the spaces of the framework to produce to give look of the open work in the filigree jewellery. And to connect everything a heated

filament from the soldering iron is all that is needed.

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The final piece of jewellery is then dipped in hot solution of sulphuric acid to remove the impurities and then polished in a rumbling machine and then is finally electroplated. They are very big amongst tourists as souvenirs or gifts due to their sentimental purposes and the fact that the craftsmanship is very appreciated.

Il-Bizzilla

Bizzilla was first introduced to Malta by the Arabs who broth cotton into Malta from around 870 A.D and also broth their expertise in dyeing the cotton and in weaving. It is a well known 

old tradition in the maltese islands. But it first started in Egypt where it then flourished. 

Figure 3: Bizzilla Hand Work

This later became huge and cotton became a major rural industry from medieval times up to the early 19th century.Gozitans were most famous for this hand craft. At that time Gozitan cotton was very praised in mainland Europe which was about the time of the Knights.

Figure 4: Bizzilla 

It was noticed by the people that the fabric that they were making had increased drastically in popularity and in value and so they were encouraged alote by the Church. So life in Gozo and a big part of malta was relatively harsh since the majority of the people's income was coming from doing this.

Figure 5: Maltese women making Bizzilla

A lot of these hand crafted works were burned or lost but the craft remained rooted in the heart of many Maltese but mostly Gozitans who carried it with them throughout the ages. This cherished craft was carried away even by people that emigrated to other countries so that it never dies.

References: 

Jewelry.novica.com, 2016. STERLING SILVER FILIGREE JEWELRY FOR WOMEN - Sterling Silver Filigree Jewelry for Women at NOVICA. [online] Available at: <http://jewelry.novica.com/filigree/sterling-silver/> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].

Malteselace.eu, 2016. MalteseLace.eu - The portal about Lace in Malta. [online] Available at: <http://www.malteselace.eu/Lace_History/Lace_History.html> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].

Patrick Mavros, 2016. Patrick Mavros - The Lost Wax Process. [online] Available at: <http://www.patrickmavros.com/about/lost-wax/> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].

Visitmalta.com, 2016. Maltese Local Crafts - Attractions | Visit Malta. [online] Available at: <http://www.visitmalta.com/en/local-crafts> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].

YouTube, 2016. How is it Made - Yemenite Filigree Jewelery by Ben Zion David. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvLkIJnMN5Q&hd=1> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].

Photos: 
Figure 1: Flickrhivemind.net, 2016. The World's Best Photos of boat and gozo - Flickr Hive Mind. [online] Available at: <http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/boat,gozo/Interesting> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].
Figure 2: Patrick Mavros, 2016. Patrick Mavros - The Lost Wax Process. [online] Available at: <http://www.patrickmavros.com/about/lost-wax/> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].
Figure 3: Filforn.blogspot.com.mt, 2009. Wünderkammer: Maltese Lace - Bizzilla. [online] Available at: <http://filforn.blogspot.com.mt/2009/10/maltese-lace-bizzilla.html> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].
Figure 4: Anon, 2016. Bizzilla. [online] Available at: <http://katrinaannasarahdrake.tumblr.com/post/120764127640/bizzilla> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].
Figure 5: Pinterest.com, 2016. [online] Available at: <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/407646203741807920/> [Accessed 13 Jan. 2016].

Design (Ms Abela)

This picture was take from the Museum of St Paul's Cavalier on the 23rd October at 12:23 PM.

This 20th century piece of  3 dimensional machinery is know as the clapper which was a wooden instrument that was rung instead of a bell in the whole week. Its purpose was to grab the attention of people with its continues clapping sound as with the name. It really inspired me due to its symmetrical design which is very visually pleasing.


This picture was taken on the 22nd October at 12:50 PM and is found in The National Museum of Fine Arts at Valletta.

These to Antique Vases from the 19th century unfortunately had no information about them written but they speak for themselves. Both perfectly symmetrical and have a story that is shown to the viewer the more you turn it around. They both have a remarkable amount of detail on them even on the bronze handles on both sides of the vases. The first one has an inscription written and not as much art is drawn around it.The sense of vintageness the paintings and colours on the vases give really inspire me because of the warm and dirty colours.  

This picture was take from the Museum of St Paul's Cavalier on the 23rd October at 12:32 PM.

This chair is part of a set which was also done in the 19th century. It displays great craftsmanship with artistic visuals in the back rest of the chair and how well made it is to still be in this good condition. It shows the beginning of the wood bending into forms instead of welding which inspired my idea generation mural to use metal bending.


This picture was take from the Museum of St Paul's Cavalier on the 23rd October at 12:34 PM.

Here we can see a mid 20th century dress. It's made from cotton and the blue leaf like patterns that are on it are printed. It looks like late summer wear due to the short sleeves and thin materials chosen and even the color and pattern choice give of that effect. The cool blue color on the leaves are really complementary to the white background and it gives that vintage look as well. The colors used are very complimentary and i really like to use them in my mural sketches. 




This picture was take from the Museum of St Paul's Cavalier on the 23rd October at 12:33 PM.

Here is another dress from the early 20th century. This one on the other hand is for the winter due to its thicker material warmer and dull colors and the fact that it longer is also a factor. Its made from brocaded silk and satin and lace. Its a lot more detailed in the collar area and shows a lot more technique it also like the other one is printed and give of that vintage look.

Art (Dr Caruana)

This picture was taken on the 22nd October at 12:45 PM and is found at the National Museum of fine arts at Valletta.

This painting was made by Emvin Cremona in the 1919-1987 period. Its an abstract made from oil on canvas. At first glance the painting gives you the impression that the artist was inspired by the Maltese boat the Luzzu due to the color choice and the black colored "eye" found near the middle of the painting this also helps because the colors chosen are all complimentary. Hard lines in black and brown and even the white of the canvas is used to give effect. The value is really apparent in the blue area were it starts out light and darkens the more it moves towards the outer part of the canvas to add depth to the painting. This paintings is also filled with irregular shapes there are regular shapes accept for the black circle in the middle which also gives Emphasis on it due to the placement and the color choice. The painting shows a lot of sharp movement throughout.


This picture was taken on the 22nd October at 12:50 PM and is found at the National Museum of fine arts at Valletta.

This painting was made by Frank Portelli in the 1922-2004 period. He called this painting "Agony of Christ in the Garden of Olives" and was made with oil on canvas. Its quite easy to notice that this painting falls under the religious category even the name of the painting gives this impression. It has hard lines throughout the whole painting it is divided due to the high contrast of the the black and dirty white that cuts in the middle so tonal values are a huge part of the painting. Detail is mostly seen on the main figure which is that of Christ and the background isn't all that refined so it gives emphasis on him, even the size of him compared to does around him gives that effect. This gives the viewer more ease to recognize the main figure of the painting which really inspires me in my drawings because of the fact that there is something about disproportion in the perspective of a painting that i really have come to like and has effected a lot of my ideas.


This picture was taken on the 22nd October at 12:57 PM and is found at the National Museum of fine arts at Valletta.

This painting was done by Albert Bierstadt in the 1830-1902 period. This painting was called the " The Iceberg" and was also done with oil on canvas like the others. Realism is the category that such a painting would fall under and credit to the artist for such amazing attention to the detail, either its seen in the reflection in the sea or the detail on the iceberg its self it is a highly detailed landscape with a heavy usage of blue that's why the dark red boat which gives the proportion difference between it and the iceberg stands out which gives emphasis. The artist uses cool colors to give the effect of the cold atmosphere. Rough white was used to bring out the texture of the iceberg. Despite the high contrast of the black and light black there is also a texture contrast between the texture of the rough iceberg and the smooth light blue sea which also gives the effect of movement. So there is a Technic difference splitting the image. Due to the paintings calmness and the fact that there is not that much going on in it, it is very balanced.


This picture was taken on the 22nd October at 12:52 PM and is found at the National Museum of fine arts at Valletta.

This Painting was made by Cesare Dies between the 1830-1889 period. This drawing is called Pilgrims Kissing the Foot of the Bronze statue of St Peter in the Basilica of St Peter and is also done with oil on canvas. This is an illustration since the title of it explains the whole image so it has a set of information from just seeing it which is also highly detailed and falls under the religious category. The colors aren't all that bright they are warm and dull colors. Detail is equally distributed throughout the whole painting. The emphasis is mostly on the woman that is kissing the bronze statue this is created by the red piece of clothing which sticks out from the rest of the dull colors. Hard lines and shapes are also apparent in the background.

This picture was taken on the 22nd October at 12:44 PM and is found at the National Museum of fine arts at Valletta.

This painting was done by Antonie Camilleri in the 1922-2005 period. This painting is made from resin on a panel and is called "The Internal Self Artist In front of a Mirror". This painting unlike the other drawing is not an illustration but it leaves the viewer in a sea of imagination since there is no specific information that can be viewed to think what the artist had on his mind whitest drawing it. There is a lot of contrast since there is only the use of one color which means its a monochrome. Hard lines and shapes are used instead of shading. The figure is not at all detailed and is quite dull and has no realistic effect and proportions here are not a factor since the figures head is not proportional to his body so the artist here shows that he just wanted the head to be the main focus. 

The flattened effect of the figure is shown so much that it looks as tho there is a profile and a front facing portrait since the roundness of the head is absent.

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