Notes for a history of art in Malta

Abstract

Lest the admittedly vague title of these "notes" be too misleading, a word of explanation and of warning to the unwary reader may not be amiss. In the first place, the words "Art in Malta" instead of "Maltese Art" mean to imply that, apart from certain local characteristics and influences which will be described in due course, the writer has often found it impossible to draw a neat line between the Art of the Maltese and that of their various rulers, and has therefore found it advisable to describe the various tendencies of art in Malta independently of the nationality of the artists. For that reason, the inclusion of such names as Preti and Favray, who exercised such a great influence on local artists, .should cause no surprise. But, on the other hand, no hard and fast rule has been observed in this respect and Melchior Gafa, for instance, who should logically be left out because he worked almost exclusively in Rome, has been included because he was not only the greatest but also the most misrepresented of Maltese artists. Finally, these sketches have no desire to be any more than their name implies. They are not a history in any generally accepted sense, but a collection of data, compiled by a layman and documented where possible, which, it is hoped, will make the task of future historians easier.