A comparative study of the art of Carmelo Mangion and Paul Cézanne with a focus on spatial politics and nature in their landscapes and the bathers series

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to shed light on the works of Carmelo Mangion and their connection to Paul Cézanne’s paintings. This study will focus both on the Maltese artist Carmelo Mangion (1905-1997) and the French painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) genre of Landscapes and the theme of the Bathers that they went on to work on throughout their lives. These two prominent subjects were consistently present in the artist’s oeuvre throughout their artistic careers. Despite Cézanne’s meticulous focus on these two subjects, both artists dedicated significant portions of their time to these genres, making them two of the central focuses of their artistic pursuits. The years between 1917 and 1933 were known to have been the years in which Mangion formed his artistic expression. During that time he also accustomed himself to what was occuring in Europe, especially in Paris, France in terms of art and painting. As a result, Mangion included various elements throughout his paintings that can be visually linked in terms of style and aesthetics as influences materialising from the works of Cézanne. Cézanne’s impact on modern art was still visible in Paris even a decade after his death. There is a visual link between Mangion and Cézanne’s works which Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci mentioned in his lectures and Joseph Paul Cassar brought out briefly in his publication Carmelo Mangion His Life and Works. This dissertation will not be presented from a biographical approach but it will focus mainly on a theoretical approach. There are numerous already existing publications about the lives of the artists. Therefore, by viewing works of the artists from a theoretical approach which includes the formal qualities and the social political environment, I will try to uncover deeper layers of meaning and to explore the artists’ intentions. This dissertation will also address these two topics applying an art historical approach, focusing on the periods leading up to the time Mangion and Cézanne began their painting careers. Mangion had a remarkable and long career both as an art teacher and as a practising artist. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of modern art in Malta, and many of his works were not shown to the public until recently since he mostly worked in his home studio. Therefore, this was something that I wanted to dedicate my research to. Both the artists’ treatment of the Landscapes and Bathers series marked a significant departure from the traditional artistic conventions both in Malta, in the case of Mangion and on a larger worldwide scale, in the case of Cézanne. I approached this dissertation as an opportunity to explore these works theoretically with a focus on and to look into the contributions of these two artists on the development of modern art both in Malta and internationally. Moreover, I plan to examine the formal elements of Mangion and Cézanne’s Landscapes and Bathers, including composition, form and perspective from a theoretical point of view to appreciate the artistic vision of the works. This comparative analysis between the works of the artists can elucidate shared themes, influences and divergences which contribute to a richer understanding of the artistic legacy of both artists. The genre of Landscape painting was the preferred genre for both artists and while the theme of the Bathers was explored on a larger scale by Cézanne. This dissertation offered an opportunity for me to look into one of the influences that shaped Mangion’s Landscape and Bathers which also emphasise that Maltese artists were not cut off from the development of modern art.