The role of women artists in the first half of the twentieth century : Maria Calì Corleo, Hélène Buhagiar and Mary Inglott (née Pitrè)

Abstract

Woman artists in Malta, both local and foreign, were quite abundant in number during the first half of the twentieth century, and their role on the local art scene was just as relevant as that of male artists. However, their names and works of art seem to be hidden away along with many other undiscovered treasures of Malta. Although references in catalogues or newspapers are often made to women artists, a study focusing on their individual artistic output has been lacking and overdue. When studying the art history of Malta, we tend to focus on the numerous talented local male artists which this small country has produced. This however, has been done at the expense of omitting the role of most women artists, who gave a considerable contribution to the Islands' artistic heritage. In Europe, a rising awareness regarding women artists has been steadily evolving over the past three decades or so, thus there remains no justification as to why Malta's female artists of the recent past have been disregarded for so long. Having said this, one must admit that no woman artist of the first half of the twentieth century has ever emerged to the foreground of the local art scene, to the extent of male artists like Giuseppe Cali, Antonio Sciortino, Edward Caruana Dingli or Anton Inglott. Most women artists seemed more than happy to take painting as a hobby, much like sewing or some other craft; they did not have any intention of using their ability for professional reasons, such as church or private commissions. Rather, many women were more than content with assuming their traditional role as wives and mothers, and as such gradually disappeared into the shadows of their families. The only means of tracing these females' lives is either through information passed down from their family, relatives and friends, through exhibition catalogues, newspaper articles or through their paintings. But as stated before, the way women conducted their lives was very different to that of male artists. As wives and mothers, the time they could dedicate to their hobby of painting was naturally very limited, and due to this limited amount of time it must have been difficult to attend painting classes, or to contribute to collective exhibitions, let alone set up solo ones. It is in such a light that one must view the life and works of the three women artists towards which this study is geared.