Social realism in Maltese modern & contemporary art

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to evaluate and analyse, formally as well as contextually, Social Realism in Modem and Contemporary Maltese art, while keeping in mind Maltese society's history, achievements and the philosophy which influenced Social Realistic art. The choice to focus my studies on such a particular and politically relevant art movement, possibly begs an explanation. It is safe to say that my choice does not, by any means, imply a dwindling interest in the vastness that makes up the rest of the subject I study, that is, history of art. As a student in this field especially, I believe in training to keep my eyes open for the new. However in choosing to study Social Realism I understand I have made a choice of sorts. Studying art that sought to state a message in its time, in an era in which post-modernist ideologies held sway, has made me understand how, sometimes, the validity of certain past artistic movements is also just as valid and vital nowadays. I hope that this thesis will serve as a significant contribution to this relatively under-researched field of study, because in it I have sought to illustrate how Social Realistic art highlights the dynamics of how international movements, class distinctions, social practices and art theories meld, and consequently, transform history's path. Moreover, I have also gone on to suggest how these crucial transformations, in tum, shaped Maltese art and artists' ideologies. I have gone about securing my standpoint vis a vis this very subject by insisting on my firm belief in that one cannot discuss art history or particular art works without discussing the philosophy that has gone into their conception and transformation. In full understanding of the distinction between the philosophers, as being essentially men of thought, and the artists as men of action, this thesis, even structurally speaking, insists on the importance of both in the conception and formation of art. Hence, from the outset, I started researching and reading about the political and philosophical ideas that were considered dominant in my periods of study, the 19th century French and Russian Realist art, 20th century American Social Realistic art and Soviet Socialist art.