Papers by Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci
When one is dealing with a deep expressive intuitive power that manifests itself in an irrational... more When one is dealing with a deep expressive intuitive power that manifests itself in an irrational and even chaotic way, one finds a certain multi-level of difficulty if not utter impossibility to attempt to rationalise such irrationality, to wedge out some kind of order from such chaos. How is one to surgically deal with Malevitch’s Black Square, with Rothko’s Black-Chapel and for the sake of this essay, with Anna Stepanova’s recent works?
Primarily the works themselves speak to us in a language that we have to unearth and decipher. The positivist language of painting on its own is too poor to tackle this question. One needs to enrich such poverty with the language of art. Saddling itself with the methodological categories of theology, philosophy and that of interdisciplinary sources, the language of painting transmogrifies into the much needed language of art.
Believing that the ‘classical’ arborescent hierarchical approach has to be strongly complemented ... more Believing that the ‘classical’ arborescent hierarchical approach has to be strongly complemented by a rhizomic multi-pollination approach in art scholarship I am here at this 7th part of my Taverna series developing other branches which stem from my previous Taverna debates on methodology. This present debate concerns Giorgio Preca’s Malta series. Boris Eikhenbaum’s and Mikhail Bakhtin’s idea of skaz and b[i]yt have been here cautiously transported onto the field of visual aesthetics, and when applied together, these siblings form the category of tipazh, typisation of character, clan, kind, and genus.
Adding the suffix –ka to the end of skaz brings us to the fairy tale, the fabula. This brings us to an aesthetic contextualisation that the Preca works find themselves in.
This was the first time that such a rich collection was exhibited and open to the public. One of ... more This was the first time that such a rich collection was exhibited and open to the public. One of the main objectives was to initiate a whole process of opening the then 'closed' archive of the Mdina Cathedral Museum, and to provoke a healthy debate on the collection and its corresponding attributions. Both objectives enrich the already exciting collection harboured at the Mdina Museum.
This essay discusses, debates and contextualises my participation at the Venice Biennale, Malta ... more This essay discusses, debates and contextualises my participation at the Venice Biennale, Malta Pavilion. It formed part of a whole 'event' under the title ‘Diplomazija Astuta’ which was curated by two co-curators, Jeffrey Uslip and Keith Sciberras. The three artists were Arcangelo Sassolino who created the whole engineering-kinetic and infrastructural work, Brian Schembri who created the sound-score and giuseppe schembri bonaci who offered his own engraved metallic sheet replicating a steel mirror to Caravaggio’s Beheading.
XV International Conference: Russia and the West: The Dialog of Cultures. April 21-27, 2012.
Lom... more XV International Conference: Russia and the West: The Dialog of Cultures. April 21-27, 2012.
Lomonosov Moscow State University. Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies with the support of the Department of International Relations, University of Malta.
This forms part of a whole series under the title 'Taverna Philosophy in Aesthetics', a platform ... more This forms part of a whole series under the title 'Taverna Philosophy in Aesthetics', a platform where ideas are constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed, and ultimately razed away.
The present discussion concerns the role Megalithic culture played and is still playing a determining role in the development of modern and contemporary art. Certain sections are derived from my previous publications.
As part of the Taverna series dealing with art categories that played a vital role in the develop... more As part of the Taverna series dealing with art categories that played a vital role in the development of modernism, this part debates the Naïve-Vernacular and its relationship with other movements and in different historical periods.
This present ‘Taverna’ debate deals with the third component of the first part of our studies. Th... more This present ‘Taverna’ debate deals with the third component of the first part of our studies. The three mutually integrated parts, that of the megalithic, the naïve-vernacular, and now that of calligraphy are reacting to the idea of the retour-aux-source.
Independently of the validity or otherwise of such retour, regardless of the fatal challenges this concept had to encounter, such idea did however determine the whole 20c. Correspondingly one has to take it into account and see how it via our three components here discussed ushered in new alternatives in the 21c.
This debate, besides being a deep homage to a mentor aims, as all my previous works do, to elabor... more This debate, besides being a deep homage to a mentor aims, as all my previous works do, to elaborate further a novel approach to modern art studies by proposing a new methodology of reading painting: a multidisciplinary-conceptual critical approach.
The first part of this present ‘Taverna’ debate involves certain vital categories one has to deal with when one is studying the art of reading of art and the hidden forces embedded in such work.
The second debate which followes, dealt with the relationship existing between methodology and the insular-cosmopolitan hegemonic dichotomy.
The third part throws us back to the analyses of aesthetic categories and complementing the previous ones with other essential categorical components.
A debate on the study of form formation. This essay was inspired by some arguments stemming from ... more A debate on the study of form formation. This essay was inspired by some arguments stemming from Stephen Nowlin’s essay "Beauty Found (Where it Wasn’t Meant to Be)".
In this discussion-exhibition event "Thought, Pensier, Hsieb, Miysl, Pensée" ... for some of the ... more In this discussion-exhibition event "Thought, Pensier, Hsieb, Miysl, Pensée" ... for some of the works schembri bonaci has applied the physical features of friends of his and transformed these to 'faces of age' deep in thought … the leitmotif is: Can we visualise thought? This is the discussion he wants to get going. In between the drawings, he created square-forms that recall Malevitch's suprematist geometric paintings ...
Narcy Calamatta's review of schembri bonaci's works linked with his artistic research concerning ... more Narcy Calamatta's review of schembri bonaci's works linked with his artistic research concerning modern contemporary art and 'prehistoric art' taking him into the spaces where such art is still a living ritual: aboriginal Australia.
Progress Press, 2002
This paper relates to several letters written by Nikolay Gogol during his sojourn on the island o... more This paper relates to several letters written by Nikolay Gogol during his sojourn on the island of Malta.
Horizons, 2012
This paper talks about the beginnings of the left wing movement during the 60s-70s turbulent hist... more This paper talks about the beginnings of the left wing movement during the 60s-70s turbulent history of Maltese politics.
Back in the USSR always baffled me to say the least. During my riot and occupation days which tur... more Back in the USSR always baffled me to say the least. During my riot and occupation days which turned into years of utopian quixotic commitment I always felt the conservative anti-utopian character of the Beatles and thus opted for the cruder rebellious Rolling Stones alternative. This was the age in which The Rolling Stones together with the Beatles confronted the episteme of utopia belief.
![Research paper thumbnail of A Maltese Cuckoo Clock (written in orange): 'Burgess: The Horse of Troy at Modernism's Gates. St Augustine, Pelagius and Dnub il-Mejjet' [grave/mortal sin].](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/111234561/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) lived at 168, Main Street, Lija in the late 1960s and eventually left... more Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) lived at 168, Main Street, Lija in the late 1960s and eventually left the island with his family after disagreements with local authorities. His Malta trial and tribulations are recorded in his personal memoirs published a couple of years before his passing.
Burgess delivered a historical lecture at the University of Malta in 1970 at the Science Lecture Theatre called 'Obscenity and the Arts' that was transcribed and published by the Malta Library Association in 1973.
Burgess' official biographer and Director of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Prof. Andrew Biswell, delivered a keynote lecture as part of a symposium organised by the Department of Art and Art History. Dr. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci (Department of Art and Art History) and Prof. Ivan Callus (Department of English) presented their research on Burgess and the representation of Malta in his literature.
The full three-day event involved the symposium 'Anthony Burgess and Malta: A Symposium', a film screening of 'A Clockwork Orange', and the premiere of piano pieces composed by Burgess himself, two of which he wrote here in Malta, performed by pianist Tom Armitage.
International Conference: The Mediterranean Reception of Lucio Fontana’s Baroque Continuum. The A... more International Conference: The Mediterranean Reception of Lucio Fontana’s Baroque Continuum. The Artist’s Legacy and Dynamism in the Ceramic Arts of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries, with a Maltese Case-Study: Gabriel Caruana.
15.12. 2016
Convenor: Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci
Rivista ta' Lettaratura Kontemporanja [3-11], 1990
This published debate concerned the role the Maltese Poet Dun Karm played in the development of t... more This published debate concerned the role the Maltese Poet Dun Karm played in the development of the social aspect of poetry.
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Papers by Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci
Primarily the works themselves speak to us in a language that we have to unearth and decipher. The positivist language of painting on its own is too poor to tackle this question. One needs to enrich such poverty with the language of art. Saddling itself with the methodological categories of theology, philosophy and that of interdisciplinary sources, the language of painting transmogrifies into the much needed language of art.
Adding the suffix –ka to the end of skaz brings us to the fairy tale, the fabula. This brings us to an aesthetic contextualisation that the Preca works find themselves in.
Lomonosov Moscow State University. Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies with the support of the Department of International Relations, University of Malta.
The present discussion concerns the role Megalithic culture played and is still playing a determining role in the development of modern and contemporary art. Certain sections are derived from my previous publications.
Independently of the validity or otherwise of such retour, regardless of the fatal challenges this concept had to encounter, such idea did however determine the whole 20c. Correspondingly one has to take it into account and see how it via our three components here discussed ushered in new alternatives in the 21c.
The first part of this present ‘Taverna’ debate involves certain vital categories one has to deal with when one is studying the art of reading of art and the hidden forces embedded in such work.
The second debate which followes, dealt with the relationship existing between methodology and the insular-cosmopolitan hegemonic dichotomy.
The third part throws us back to the analyses of aesthetic categories and complementing the previous ones with other essential categorical components.
Burgess delivered a historical lecture at the University of Malta in 1970 at the Science Lecture Theatre called 'Obscenity and the Arts' that was transcribed and published by the Malta Library Association in 1973.
Burgess' official biographer and Director of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Prof. Andrew Biswell, delivered a keynote lecture as part of a symposium organised by the Department of Art and Art History. Dr. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci (Department of Art and Art History) and Prof. Ivan Callus (Department of English) presented their research on Burgess and the representation of Malta in his literature.
The full three-day event involved the symposium 'Anthony Burgess and Malta: A Symposium', a film screening of 'A Clockwork Orange', and the premiere of piano pieces composed by Burgess himself, two of which he wrote here in Malta, performed by pianist Tom Armitage.
15.12. 2016
Convenor: Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci
Primarily the works themselves speak to us in a language that we have to unearth and decipher. The positivist language of painting on its own is too poor to tackle this question. One needs to enrich such poverty with the language of art. Saddling itself with the methodological categories of theology, philosophy and that of interdisciplinary sources, the language of painting transmogrifies into the much needed language of art.
Adding the suffix –ka to the end of skaz brings us to the fairy tale, the fabula. This brings us to an aesthetic contextualisation that the Preca works find themselves in.
Lomonosov Moscow State University. Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies with the support of the Department of International Relations, University of Malta.
The present discussion concerns the role Megalithic culture played and is still playing a determining role in the development of modern and contemporary art. Certain sections are derived from my previous publications.
Independently of the validity or otherwise of such retour, regardless of the fatal challenges this concept had to encounter, such idea did however determine the whole 20c. Correspondingly one has to take it into account and see how it via our three components here discussed ushered in new alternatives in the 21c.
The first part of this present ‘Taverna’ debate involves certain vital categories one has to deal with when one is studying the art of reading of art and the hidden forces embedded in such work.
The second debate which followes, dealt with the relationship existing between methodology and the insular-cosmopolitan hegemonic dichotomy.
The third part throws us back to the analyses of aesthetic categories and complementing the previous ones with other essential categorical components.
Burgess delivered a historical lecture at the University of Malta in 1970 at the Science Lecture Theatre called 'Obscenity and the Arts' that was transcribed and published by the Malta Library Association in 1973.
Burgess' official biographer and Director of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Prof. Andrew Biswell, delivered a keynote lecture as part of a symposium organised by the Department of Art and Art History. Dr. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci (Department of Art and Art History) and Prof. Ivan Callus (Department of English) presented their research on Burgess and the representation of Malta in his literature.
The full three-day event involved the symposium 'Anthony Burgess and Malta: A Symposium', a film screening of 'A Clockwork Orange', and the premiere of piano pieces composed by Burgess himself, two of which he wrote here in Malta, performed by pianist Tom Armitage.
15.12. 2016
Convenor: Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci
the history of international relations. Both spheres of study
although overlapping, have distinct areas and radically different
objectives. A history of international relations is the basic
foundation forming the science of diplomacy. A study of history of
international relations basing oneself on documents of statesmen,
diplomats, politicians, envoys and similar agents of diplomacy
would show a different scene than that shown by the study of
historical events.
--
errata:
to read
a] p. 14 'do not show ...' not '... do not shown'.
b] p. 29 ' ... in 1770 ...' not '... 1870 ...'
c] p. 35 ' ... in 1779 ...' not ' .. 1979 ...'
d] p. 61 ' F.F. Ushakov' not 'F.F. Ushatov'
According to Oliver Friggieri who wrote the introduction the work is a subject-rhyme drowned in what he called 'communicative-ambiguity', controlled tension, and the oxymoronic relationship between isolation and chronotopic distance.
extract:
In the madness of a chapel, I did love thee
Amidst the darkness of thine gaze and mine
Within a tree’s mantel-cloak, I did love thee
I did love thee within its shadow dark
Baptised I did thee, as if unknown, and secretly
In time a moan away, at the cavern sad abyss
Baptised I did thee when rock did dust become:
The rock that shrieked the breath of last.
According to Prof Mario Buhagiar " ... this results in a poignant first analysis of a sculptor who dominated the art scene in Malta in the second half of 20c ... and giving a new academic dimension to the art criticism of Maltese modern and contemporary art ... "
Which is what? replied I
That you'd die ...
but
my dear friend, replied I
I will never die,
replied I , thus ... replied I.
This 140 page work is an image collage of milestone academic, artistic, diplomatic and personal events that formed me.
... In Schembri Bonaci’s innovative exploration of katabasis key synergies and affinities across visual, aural and written art forms are revealed, vide. his exploration of Canto XX.
Here he reveals the impossibility of a taking a single cohesive linear view and the significance of refracted light/sight, both seeing and unseeing. The political instability and eruptions of acts of catastrophic violence of recent times. make ‘Chapter. 13:. Cantos. XIV-XV-XVI’ particularly telling ... This third volume of Schembri Bonaci’s series on modern art and the Maltese condition within an international comparative context, vivifies. the voyage of never-ending return in Pound’s modernist elucidation of Homeric and Dantesque katabasis. Analogous in configuration to both a constellation and meteor shower, this fascinating study encapsulates - as Pound had employed - both the ancient, the modern, the past and the present, the alien as well as the apparently familiar.
... if it is true that all the events of the
contemporary world, even the most dramatic, can
be traced back to the languages of the visible and
therefore to art, if it is true that every theory or
philosophical reflection can act as a stimulus to
figurative fantasy, then it must be questioned whether
art can still be seen as a resource of ‘knowledge of
beauty’, as a decisive visual expression. As underlined
by Schembri Bonaci, ‘Beauty has today ... become
a revolutionary and subversive act, and as such it
vibrates the silent call of the earth. Beauty is the silent
call of the present.’ Something that in the deafening
and noisy world of images and events can be scary.
And it is this very quality of his opposition to a system
of ‘dramatic’ messages that produces an unexpected
circuit that confers an amazing energy. To probe into
the conceptual possibilities of that which separates
opposites can sometimes be unsettling, but in the
careful and researched communication of this book,
I would say that it is capable of affecting the reader.
This study succeeds in expressing something difficult
to express, leading to reflection and to a profound
questioning of the imaginative network of reality, and therefore of art.
"Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi occhi" Pavese
"When we have shuffled off this mortal coil" Hamlet
… Being is time and time is finite. With death time ends. Meeting the end of time is linked to what Heidegger defines as the authenticity question confronting humankind, thus replicating the whole history of the human species relationship with death …
debated by Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci.
In this first journey, our guide, the author himself, leads us along Kalleya’s tormented visual dialogue with Dante’s Inferno and further. Schembri Bonaci’s study of Kalleya’s works has deciphered the artist’s incomprehensible symbolical-hieroglyphical lines and marks. Kalleya’s mythic force is expounded in the artist’s own fragmented visual translation-interpretations of the Divina Commedia, creating works which, as this publication proves, are in perennial conversation with Dante’s universe. Previously uncategorised and jumbled, the author has structured Kalleya’s drawings and sketches according to Dante’s own narrative development from the depths of Hell to the summit of the Empyrean. Following Dante’s lead in his reiteration of literary motifs, Schembri Bonaci uses image repetition as a device to link Kalleya’s art to the Commedia’s composition. At times, poetic license is taken in the relationship between the text and Kalleya’s imagery. Furthermore, new titles have been attributed to particular artworks which had previously been debatably named [Ed. note Nikki Petroni]