The communicative role of visual media in Malta 1700-98

Abstract

Art, independently of form and of aesthetic quality. has always constituted - together with the spoken language - the primary means of communication. The transmission of cultural values through artistic genres has been intensely studied for different eras and in different social contexts. What has been described as ‘the power that visual evidence possesses , to In define what a society considers both normal and eccentric' still remains mostly unstudied for much of Malta's past. The utilization of art forms as reinforcers of the political and religious power structures in eighteenth-century Malta is evident to a very considerable extent. The study of the ways of assimilation of European artistic movements in Malta during the period - in terms of which and at what point in time were particular European artistic styles adopted - now enables an attempt at outlining the contribution of locally available art in the reinforcing of the social and political status quo. No artistic medium remained untouched by the influence of European baroque - from sculpture to painting and architecture, from silverware to jewellery and costume, and from book to furniture design.